Seducing Granger
by starrynight89
Summary: No more of this pathetic act, he was going to do things his way and his way didn’t include calling Granger, Hermione. He was on a mission, a mission to seduce Hermione Granger that was all, not to befriend an enemy. CHAPTER 16 UPDATED!
1. Last Year

_**Chapter One: Last Year**_

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Opposites attract because they are not really opposites, but complementaries.

_- Sydney J. Harris_

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Hermione glanced at her reflection, _Not Bad_ she thought. She turned around trying to get a better look at her shirt. Ten minutes later, she walked out of the store with two bags of clothes, nothing over the top or extraordinary but nevertheless she needed a new wardrobe before going back to Hogwarts next week. She couldn't help but hope that maybe this was the year, the year which Hermione Granger will remember for the rest of her life. She loved Hogwarts but the past six years have been centered around Voldemort and looking back at her life at Hogwarts he was the only thing she remembered. Even if nothing did happen, this year is going to be a year of reminiscing on past memories, catching up with lost friends, thinking about future careers and opening herself up to the Hogwarts male population. She never had time for dating and regretted her obsession with studies, something that kept her from experimenting with dating in her early years of puberty. She took a sip of her skim latte as she looked across at the busy street; this year had to be different. No more of childhood feuds and unnecessary conflicts, no more inhibitions, this was her year to shine. She smiled as she walked out of the coffee shop and crossed the street and got lost in the crowd as she made her way to the subway.

"Mum, I'm home!" she said as she dropped her bags and took of her coat. She took off her shoes and made her way into the living room, and found her mother reading a book. Hermione smiled, her mother never answered when she was absorbed in her reading and by the looks of her silence, the book was good. Hermione walked upstairs and opened the door to find a complete mess; she sighed as she brought the two new bags of clothing and tucked them away in the trunk. She fed Crookshanks and started to pack the rest of the clothing and books. After two hours of packing, she looked up at the clock, seven o'clock. Dad's going to be home anytime soon, she brushed her long, wavy dark brown hair away from her face and walked downstairs.

"Hello sweetheart," her mother greeted her.

"Thanks, for acknowledging my presence Mom" Hermione said with a hint of sarcasm as she gave her mom a hug. Leaving for Hogwarts was always difficult; she loved her parents to death and felt guilty for just leaving them here though they were busy at the hospital most of the time. "Smells good" she said as she grabbed the plates and silverware and started arranging the table.

Hermione walked outside and was greeted by the cold, biting wind and made her way to the back of the van in order to get her trunk outside. Her father followed in order to help her. Soon she had all of her things outside, Crookshanks was grumpy, and he hated the cold. Hermione was trying to hold back her tears, which was hard because her eyes were wet to begin with because of the cold. She hugged both of her parents long and hard, she didn't want to let them go but she had to leave or else the train would be long gone before she reached the platform.

"Bye Hermione, take care" her mother said as she let go of her only daughter, the next several months were going to be gloomy and quiet, life just wasn't the same without Hermione.

"You too Mum and ease up on the drinks Dad" Hermione said giving them one final hug before turning around to leave.

"I'll try, you take care princess" Mr. Granger sighed.

She turned around and waved to both of them one last time before disappearing into the crowd. She reached platform 9 ¾ and was met with the usual hustle and bustle of the first years, reunions and common chit-chat that usually took place. Hermione made her way toward the cabins and opened each one trying to look for her friends. She opened one to find none other than Draco Malfoy sitting there all by himself; she quickly resorted to old habits and had to bite her tongue from saying something juvenile. She had to admit, Draco Malfoy has definitely grown this past summer. She no longer saw a boy but a young man which was hard to believe. She quickly closed the door and moved on in order to avoid confrontation which would most likely be a stupid fight but the real reason she avoided conversation because she'd be nervous in his presence and he'd take advantage of that as always.

"Hermione," she heard her voice and before she had a chance to respond, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist and lift her off the ground. She turned around to see Harry; she beamed and gave him another hug. Ron followed and Hermione gave him a hug. They led her to their cabin, the same cabin they'd met first year.

"How are you guys? How was your summer?" she asked as they sat down.

"Boring" Harry answered, most of his summers were uneventful but exciting school years made up for it. Ron started talking about his family and Hermione listened to him while thinking about how happy she was, it was unnatural, she feared that someone was going to steal this. She glanced outside the window and looked forward to her last year at Hogwarts, the last year for the Golden Trio, the last year when all of her class mates were going to be together and the last year she'd the chance to befriend Draco Malfoy. She was surprised at that thought; maybe this year will be interesting. Without conscious awareness, Hermione found herself tracing her thoughts back to that certain man sitting alone in the cabin.

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Ok, there you go! Please Please PLEASE review...Im working on chapter five at the moment so watch out for updates!!

Bye!


	2. On a Mission

**_Chapter Two: On a Mission_**

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_"__Ambition is a** lust** that is never quenched, but grows more inflamed and madder by enjoyment "_

_--Thomas Otway_

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Hermione walked toward the Gryffindor common room, scolding herself for spending too much time in the Great Hall trying to meet all of her old friends. Harry and Ron had already left with Ginny and Lavender an hour ago. Amidst her thoughts and rushing to the common room, she tripped over her robe and fell forward. The fall was echoed through the empty hallway and she quickly stood up and started dusting her robes. 

"Careful Granger" a smooth, silky voice whispered close to her ear. She spun around to see Malfoy standing there with his signature smirk.

"Malfoy," Hermione said, surprised that her voice wasn't as threatening as she wanted it to be.

"Late, aren't we?" he said taking a step towards her.

"Yeah," she said, her voice surprisingly weak, unsure of what he was up to as she took a step back just in case.

"Ok, enough of the small talk," he said and took three quick strides and close the space between them. Hermione stifled a gasp as she felt his body against hers and his face dangerously close; as much as she wanted to push away she knew she couldn't.

"What do you want?" Hermione whispered as reality came crashing down on her; she was alone in a dark, secluded hallway with Draco Malfoy less than three inches away from her face.

"_You_," his voice held a raw, uncontrollable sex appeal, something Hermione was very turned on by. Before she could make a rational decision, He closed the gap between them and violently kissed her. Hermione whimpered at his strength and felt her legs giving away, he quickly pull her onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist as he strategically moved his lips towards her neck and stopped at her pulse and started sucking at her delicate flesh which sent electric waves throughout Hermione's body. She let out a moan which brought her back to the reality of the situation; she was _still _in a dark, secluded hallway **snogging **Draco Malfoy. She quickly pulled away and ran towards the Gryffindor common room not looking back.

Draco smiled, fixed his hair and robes and started walking the opposite way towards the Slytherin common room. _Bloody hell, the mudblood can kiss _he thought and then smiled thinking about her reaction if she ever heard him say this, surprisingly he wanted her even more now.

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Hermione ran into her room ignoring Harry and Ron who were sitting in the common room chatting with some of the fellow Gryffindors. She closed the door and was happy the dormitory was relatively empty except for Parvati Patel who seemed to be sound asleep. Hermione walked into the bathroom and washed her face, what just happened? She thought as she grabbed the towel. Flashes of the encounter came back to her and she almost blushed thinking about her reaction. She look into the mirror and at her neck, there was a small, dark bruise and Hermione rushed to get her wand and mumbled a spell she heard Lavender teaching the other girls but Hermione never imagined she'd be using it. She quickly changed and went to bed; she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She analyzed the situation and analyzed it some more realizing that she wanted this all along but not with Malfoy, he was too dangerous. Playing with Malfoy was like playing with fire, She also got angry at her inability to put up a fight, she can't let Malfoy get to her, _Why_ was he after her? There were other girls he could go for, _Why_ her? More importantly, _why_ does she want more?

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"Hermione, you ok?" Harry asked. Hermione looked up from her breakfast; she had been quiet the whole morning and barely touched her food. 

"Yeah, just a little tired. What class do you guys have first?" she asked quickly changing the topic as she took a bite of her toast in order to make it look believable.

"Potions" Ron groaned as they started getting up. Hermione suddenly became nauseous, she had to see Malfoy, and after last night she was afraid of his presence. She had to stop this before it went any further but all these thoughts seemed to disappear as she spotted Malfoy with his Slyterin friends. His hair wasn't slicked back as usual and long strands fell in his eyes and gave him a mysterious aura. He grew taller and she noticed his fit forearms, as he rolled his uniform sleeves up. _Damn, Quidditch did him good_ she thought as she quickly walked past him without stealing a glance. Potions dragged on and soon she was absent mindedly cutting up ingredients and adding them to the bubbling potion while Ron and Harry talked on about their first Quidditch match with Slytherin next week.

"Well, Granger, looks like you're distracted," she jumped as she heard Snape behind her commenting on the green potion; Hermione frowned as she looked up at the board the potion was supposed to be white. "Detention Granger and twenty points from Gryffindor." She looked down and glanced at Malfoy who was smiling, her blood started boiling.

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Draco walked into his dormitory and glanced at the clock, he had an hour before he could catch up with Granger at detention. He quickly grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment sticking out of his backpack and sighed before writing his name at the top. He was writing to his father in order to tell him his plan is working and Granger will be his soon, that's what his father wanted. Ever since he could remember his life revolved around his father, he had no voice, no opinion, anything and everything was decided by his father from what he wore to how he spoke. Even though he lived in a mansion, Draco somehow felt claustrophobic in his thoughts because his father was always controlling them, so last year he decided on two things he will not let his father rule, his career and his marriage, these were the two things he was willing to fight for no matter what. 

He wrote the first sentence carefully and neatly, he never fancied writing neatly but his father would nag continuously about his laziness if he didn't. Draco suddenly dropped his quill, leaving a large, dark gash in the middle of page. Draco quickly grabbed the writing and threw it into the waste basket. _Fuck, what's wrong with me?_ He thought as he absentmindedly ran a hand through his fair, a habit he developed to lessen his agitation and restlessness. _What's so special about Granger anyway?_ He thought as he quickly changed his robes and caught himself looking into the mirror several times before leaving. He was early, he should've written to his father instead of wasting time, he paced quickened as he rushed into the dungeons. He was surprised to see Granger had already started serving her detention. He quickly checked his watch; the mudblood was a half-an hour early.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Draco looked up to see a very agitated Hermione, her arms were crossed and her expression extremely serious, and when he looked closer he could've swore he noticed a hint of fear as well. Draco took his time to answer; there was something very _sexy_ about the way she was standing there in the oversized brown apron with her arms crossed.

"We already went through this Granger," he asked and before Hermione could reply he was already too close and her head began to spin as she was loosing grip on the whole situation.

"I'm being serious," she whispered.

"So am I," he whispered and leaned over until she could feel his breath on her cheek, he suddenly pulled away. "But, let's try something different, how about a conversation Granger, maybe with a cup of coffee?" he asked. Hermione was surprised, was this Draco Malfoy she's known for the past five years, and was this the Malfoy who made sure her life was living hell every school year?

"I don't think so Malfoy, I'm busy." Hermione said as she returned to her scrubbing.

"I'm not going to beg Granger," he stated. Hermione dropped her sponge, took off her gloves and walked up to him, so close that he could smell her lavender perfume. "Maybe I want you to Malfoy," she said seductively. Draco stepped back startled at the mudblood's response, this wasn't going according to plan and he hated being in a situation where he wasn't the one in control.

"Maybe later," he mumbled and swiftly turned around and started walking out of the door. He was just about to leave when Hermione walked in front of him.

"How about a decent conversation with a cup of coffee?" she asked with a smile and Draco looked at her surprised by her courage. _Damn Gryffindor pride _Hermione thought, her expression still relatively confident. A small voice inside his head quickly told him to leave and not get into a situation like this but that voice seemed to get quieter and quieter as he looked at Hermione, she was gorgeous.

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Draco shifted uncomfortably and started fiddling with his cup trying to think of a logical explanation, what was the matter with him? He never felt like this. 

"I guess I needed a change," he answered quietly.

"I can see that but why now?" Hermione asked taking a sip of her hot, breakfast blend coffee.

"Why not? We'll never see each other next year." Draco blurted out and though Hermione tried to ignore it, she felt a little appalled by the realization that her new friendship with Draco was going to be a short one. "I'd like to apologize for last night, I don't know what I was thinking," he mumbled.

"What?! The Slytherin prince is begging for forgiveness from a Gryffindor?" Hermione teased.

"Don't read too much into it, and I wasn't begging Granger I was merely voicing my opinion."

"Back to Granger, are we?" she said. They'd been on the first named basis for the past few hours.

"Why does it matter? Stop being annoying!" he snapped.

"Stop getting annoyed then,"

"Shut up, Granger," he snapped. He stood up and left and was happy when he turned to see that Hermione had not followed him, he needed time to think, what was he doing? This wasn't the plan, the plan is to seduce Granger, not to have an actual conversation with her. He couldn't go against his father's orders, he couldn't disobey.

"Draco, is everything all right?" Hermione asked as she placed an arm on his shoulder. He spun around grabbing her wrist and hungrily placed his lips on her and pushed her to the wall. He kissed her long and hard and ran his hands down her spine which resulted in her arching into him even more. Draco suddenly let go and pushed her against the wall, Hermione grabbed her head feeling dizzy and groggily looked up at Draco as he was walking away. No more of this pathetic act, he was going to do things his way and his way didn't include calling Granger, Hermione. He was on a mission, a mission to seduce Hermione Granger that was all, not to befriend an enemy.

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**Read and Review!**

**Note: 12.oo a.m, Ok so I wasnt going to post this until sunday because I knew I had to edit it and when I was going back to read the first chapter, i found so many small things here and there i wanted to tweak( did i spell that right?..too sleepy to care)...BUT since i got amazing reviews!! I decided to stay up to update..lol..**

**Another Note: **_Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews, they help so much and its **REALLY **encouraging to know that people took time out of their lives to read what you wrote...so thank you_

_And I posted the link to the banner for this story in my profile..check it out! Im workin on making a graphic for each chapter but that'll take a while! any photoshop pros out there, leave a message:D_

_Oh, and I know chapter one was short...:P hope this one makes up for it! _

_Bye, take care!_

-


	3. A Snake is Lurking

**_Chapter Three: A Snake is Lurking _**

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_"__Without a measureless and perpetual uncertainty, the **drama** of human life would be **destroyed**_._"_

_--Winston Churchill_

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Hermione walked into the Three Broomsticks along with Harry and Ron, the place was packed and bits of conversations could be heard as they made their way to the table in the corner. The conversations were mostly about Quidditch, Hogwarts and current events. Hermione set her bags down and sat across from Harry and Ron and for a few minutes they spent time ordering Butterbeer and enjoyed the warmth of the restaurant contrasting the frosty winter weather outside. 

"Did you do the Potions assignment?" Ron asked as Harry arrived with their Butterbeer.

"Yeah, I know you didn't," Hermione smirked as she took a sip of Butterbeer.

"Right, Can I borrow yours" Ron asked

"Fine, there's no point in arguing with you, some things never change." Hermione sighed.

Hermione's thought reverted back to last week; she hadn't seen Malfoy since then and frankly tried to avoid him at any cost. She felt sick and used after last week and she wasn't going to put up with it, she was foolish to think that a person like Malfoy would have good intentions, come to think of it Malfoy and the word good doesn't fit in the same sentence. Nevertheless, she knew the snake was up to something, it wasn't like Malfoy to not torment them a few times a week. Part of her wanted to pursue him, the crazy part; she wanted to uncover his secrets. Another part of her wanted to stay away from anything she was going to regret, but it was her last year here. She took another sip and to wash down the confusing thoughts filling her head.

"Hermione, are you alright?" she turned to her two best friends and met worried glances.

"Of course, what do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it's just that for the past few days you've been out of it that's all. It's almost like we're talking to the wall, sometimes you just zone out and I'm not sure what's going on." Harry explained. Hermione smiled to try and lighten the mood but it didn't work.

"Oh, rubbish! Come on, Harry I'm absolutely all right." She said giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Good," Harry said finishing his butter beer. Hermione grinned as they left the Three Broomsticks and started back to Hogwarts. In the back of Hermione's mind, she knew she wasn't all right; a certain someone was consuming her thoughts. She looked at Ron and Harry, worried about what was going to happen among them. Looking back at this moment, she wasn't sure if it was her love for intriguing puzzles or Draco that motivated her to uncover his plan but whatever the reason, she wasn't going to give up or give into him.

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Hermione wandered through the hallways trying to look for Malfoy, where could he be? She particularly spent more time wandering through secluded classrooms. Part of her was excited and the other was terrified, once Malfoy touched her she lost all control. She spent last night contemplating her decision but concluded that it was her last year at Hogwarts and she had to take a chance. 

"Looking for someone?" a voice echoed the empty hallway as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, Hermione held her breath as she turned to face him and already she started to rethink her decision.

"You," she said with all the intensity she could muster, which wasn't much; it was hard to do anything when Malfoy was this close to her.

"Why?" he whispered, his lips brushing her ear, sending shivers done her spine.

"I'm not sure," she said and started doubting herself, _what the hell am I getting myself into?_ She thought.

Draco snorted.

"Save the crap Granger, both us know that you cant resist me" he said as he started nibbling the nape of her neck. At this Hermione got angry and before she lost herself completely, she pulled away from his embrace and stepped back.

"Playing hard to get aren't we?" he smirked. Hermione felt the cool, marble surface on her back as Draco cornered her to the wall. He put his hands on either sides of the wall, caging her so that she couldn't escape. "Kinda turns me on," he whispered seductively. Before things got of out hand again, Hermione pushed him away and took several steps away from him.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" she asked, at this point she could care less about her plan and worried about something greater that was at risk, her chastity.

"Finally Granger, a slightly intelligent question compared to your previous ramblings, well, its simple I want you. You should be proud that I am interested in someone like you and besides I assure you, I don't disappoint." He said. Hermione snorted.

"What is this, some sort of agreement?" she asked.

"I don't remember asking you to agree with me," he said annoyed at her stupidity, he expected more from book worm Granger.

"Well, then I'm sorry to disappoint you but I am not interested," she said as she started to walk away. Draco caught up with her in three quick strides and grabbed her hand.

"I don't remember asking you for your consent either," he growled.

"Leave me alone," she snapped and yanked her arm free.

"Go ahead Granger, do as you wish, just remember that a snake is lurking in the shadows and you never know when it'll attack. Besides, I thrive on challenges and you seem to be the toughest one yet and don't think that was compliment, its people like you who fall harder." He stated.

"God, just listen to yourself, you self- centered prick" she said annoyingly.

"Why, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me Granger," he said sarcastically. "But, I'm glad you think about me, nevertheless" he added after a pause. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You're not charming," she said.

"And yet, you're still here. Last time I checked, you were about to leave before I stopped you," Hermione spun around and walked away, Draco watched her leave, _She has a nice body_ he thought _Definitely a plus, since he had to do this, it helps that Granger has the all the right curves._

Hermione knew he was starting at her, she could feel his eyes traveling down her back; she was suddenly self-conscious at her clothing and made sure she wasn't wearing anything provocative. She turned around and saw him leaning against the wall watching her just like she predicted. He continued to stare, not acknowledging the fact that she was glaring at him. She quickly turned around with her head held high and walked away.

She was scared and he knew it and that wasn't a good thing. Right now, in this game- no, scratch that, hunt is more like it, he definitely had the edge. He knew what to say, when to say it, made her shut up and could've seduced her right there in the middle of that secluded hallway if he wanted to, but he didn't. A small part of Hermione was sort of amused that Draco Malfoy was interested in her, whatever his motives maybe, he wanted her and it scared and excited her at the same time.

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**Good? Bad? Let me know! Honestly, your reviews truly help me modify both the plot and my own style; just hearing from you guys is extremely uplifting...except for the flames, of course!**

**omg thank you soo much for the reviews!! You guys are great! and I really like your ideas:**

KAT-TUN: Thank you!! you're soo nice!

Dubhesigrid: Yeah, i agree with you on making Draco more subtle and I'll keep that in mind. Right now, I've already written the next chapter as well and i'am in the process of editing it...BUT I'll keep that in mind while writing the fifth chapter!..

AlanaKirstyJenni: sweeeettt..:D..I'm glad! I will update soon!

Princesspam Yeah, I LOVE messing with Draco's head..:) Thank You!

SokkaGirl Thank Youuu!!! Yeah, I tend get off topic or my story becomes soo irregular..lol...but Im trying..Im glad you like my stylee..

playful Ohhh I havent thought of that...Blaise and Ginny eh? Maybe in my next fanfic, Ginny's not with anyone right now..but Harry's withhh...you just have to read to find out...hehe...kind of OOC but..whatever!


	4. Back To Square One

**_Chapter Four: Back to Square One_**

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_"A soft answer turns away wrath,  
But a harsh word stirs up anger."_

_--Proverbs 15:1_

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Draco paced in his dormitory, _what was taking him so long?_ Hermione wasn't hard to break at all, he smiled to himself as he realized his overpowering influence on the mudblood and was proud of it. He should've taken her last week; there was an empty classroom right around the corner. Granger was so overrated, a few touches here and there and she was completely powerless. He looked at the incomplete letter on his desk; it was a letter to this father. Since his father had given him this assignment Draco spent days trying to imagine why his father wanted mudblood Granger but his attempts were futile and his father refused to delude any sort of information.

He had to admit though Granger was one of the easier ones to seduce, and surprisingly she'd affected him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Right now, he had to think of an excuse for his delay in breaking her. He could just lie and tell his father that she was hard to pursue but that would mean he was willing to insult his seduction capabilities, which were excellent. Somehow he didn't want to break her so easily, somewhere in his mind he wanted to tease her and make her beg for him. He grinned, something he never did in public but he realized that he'd been smiling every time he thought of her which was both pathetic and surprising, if that was innately possible.

He knew he was taking a risk, he knew he was bruising his pride, he knew he had to complete the mission but Draco Malfoy went against all these rational thoughts circulating around his head by picking up the quill and lying to his father for the first time in his life. He quickly folded the parchment paper and walked out to the owlery before he changed his mind.

"Draco, how come we don't see you anymore?" Pansy asked seriously as she came to his side the moment he walked out of his room. He looked at her, she wasn't as stupid as people gave her credit for and she was actually one of his good friends.

"I've been busy Pansy," he said.

"Doing what?" she asked quizzingly.

"Favors," he grinned. _Ok_ he lied he smiled in front of people, just not many.

"Am I missing something?" she asked folding her arms, for a second Draco thought she looked her Hermione with the same posture along with the annoyed expression. Great, he was started to hallucinate.

"No," he simply stated. "And if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to send,". Before she could interrogate further Draco walked away. He would tell her eventually but just not now, not when he was slowly losing focus on the task at hand. The whole thing frustrated him, he was in control and he still is. He stared at the letter as he contemplated one more time before sending the letter with the owl. Before totally regretting his decision he quickly turned around and saw the girl who'd been playing with his mind lately. He liked the way her body stiffened the minute he laid his eyes on her.

"Family?" he asked. She nodded and was startled by his attempt to start a decent conversation. He noticed her walk past him carefully, avoiding any physical contact and sent the letter out. Just as Hermione thought this time she could get away, Draco wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Just a second, thought you could get away so easily, didn't you?" he murmured.

"I knew it was too good to be true," she rolled her eyes and turned around to face him. "Please Malfoy, I don't want to get hurt and both of us know where this is going to end."

"What are you taking about? Your acting as if we're in a _fucking_ relationship, you're going to get hurt Granger, not me!" Draco growled. Hermione's eyes started to water, she felt stupid and foolish but she couldn't help it.

"I don't want anything to do with you, this is my last year at Hogwarts and we'll never see each other after this year so why do you have to ruin this for me?" she said, her voice getting angrier with every word. "Yes, in the beginning I thought this would be interesting but you're just a perverted bastard who wants to get laid. Let me make something clear _Malfoy _I'm not letting you get to me. Now, the next time you try something funny, you'll be sorry," she said as she took out her wand and pointed it close to his face bringing back memories of her third year. Hermione was proud of herself, in all of their random rendezvous', for the first time she had established herself and put up a fair fight.

"Granger, I'm impressed and here I was thinking I'm so close to breaking you, you come up with something like this. Interesting, very interesting but I _always _get what I want." He said. Hermione snorted, how many times has she heard this one?

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, my _pleasure_" he said as he turned around and left. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, she looked back at the owl and spent a few minutes analyzing what just happened, she hated to burst Malfoy's bubble but she wasn't going to be another girl on his list.

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Draco Malfoy slammed the door and swiftly dropped onto his bed. Great, now he was back to square one. Where did Granger suddenly acquire the confidence to reject him? He sighed. Flashes of their tryst in the secluded hallway infuriated his dismal state as he got up and released his anger by punching the wall. He felt a jolt of pain flow through his body easing his tension. He was provoked by the fact that he had let her escape when he could've taken her at that moment and not have to think about the mudblood ever again. His fucking ego had to get in the way. What was he going to take father? He wasn't exactly going to be jumping with joy when he reads the letter and figures out that his son is a failure. 

"Draco," he looked up to see Pansy at his door with a worried expression across her delicate face. He had to admit, Pansy was beautiful and though he underestimated her ability to understand him she was the only girl who came close to figuring him. She was there for him in times of despair and utter confusion while bothering to listen to his problems and sometimes offering a plausible solution.

"Hmm," he replied but he was afraid that even Pansy couldn't help him now. He couldn't tell her about Hermione it'd hurt her a lot, he _did_ care about her feelings. His attitude toward Pansy was starting to scare him. She sat next to him and gently examined his hand and muttered a healing spell, the pain started to subside and the initial sense of euphoria started to disappear.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on?" she asked softly, still holding on to his hand.

"No," he answered immediately.

"Draco, maybe I can help" she pleaded. He turned towards her; her eyes were full of concern. Though Draco looked fairly steady, his mind was racing. Pansy was the only girl who'd seen him cry and held him the first night he'd been hit by the Cruciatus curse, but she'd always liked him and had disclosed her feelings only to be met with disappointment. He didn't want a relationship because he knew it would ruin their friendship, and he couldn't risk that.

"Look, Pansy this is something I have to figure out, ok?" he said calmly taking her hand into his and saw her expression change from worry to dissapointment. She sighed.

"It's Granger isn't it?" she said softly. Draco was totally caught of guard but tried to look relatively expressionless, but she'd caught on. "I see the way you look at her in class, I don't know what's going on Draco but stay away from her, and she doesn't care about you."

"Pansy, listen to yourself _why_ the hell would I run after Granger?" he said a bit irritated at her frankness.

"I don't know, you won't tell me remember," she said sadly. "Oh, you received a letter while you were away," she informed and pointed to his desk. Draco tried not to show his anxiety and turned around to see Pansy leaving.

"Pansy," he called and walked to the door and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about me," he gave her a small smile. Pansy always noted how different he looked when he smiled, his whole face lit up though he rarely ever did. He leaned in and gave her a hug. After she left, Draco quickly opened the letter and noticed the neat, cursive writing immediately.

_Draco,_

_I am writing to inquire you about your mission, I hope you've completed your task. I will come to visit next week to give further instructions. I am confident that you've completed the task because I have confidence in you. I also need to talk about your career, I've already talked to my acquaintances at the Ministry of Magic and an acceptance letter will be waiting for you after graduation. You marriage is of deep concern as well and I've already talked to Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson and they readily gave their consent, you and Pansy will wed in a year. The engagement will talk place right after graduation._

_Take care, son_

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco dropped the letter; his father had basically summed up the rest of his life in a small and concise paragraph. He looked down at the small text staring back at him, what about his dreams and aspirations? It was always like this with his father, it wasn't like he didn't love him but he always thought he knew what was best. Frankly, Draco had always gotten more than he wanted and that was the problem; he never got _exactly_ what he wanted. Moreover, every time he tried to tell someone they mistook it for being arrogance, a father who gave _more_ than what his son wanted, who could ask more, right? Wrong.

He sighed, his plans after Hogwarts were to take a few years off to play Quidditch and not to sit cooped up in an office from 9-5, seven days a week. He sat down and put his head in his hands, he knew he couldn't confront his father and he couldn't marry Pansy. There were two things in his life that he promised he wouldn't let his father control, his marriage and his career but unfortunately he had snatched it away from him, along with his happiness. He violently ripped the letter into tiny shreds and threw them across the floor and left his room. He had to get away from a while, all this was too much to handle.

* * *

"Hermione, are you going to the Masquerade Ball?" Ron asked nervously. Hermione looked up from her book. 

"Yeah I am planning to but not with anyone," she replied closing her book.

"Oh, do you want to go with me?" he asked.

"Sure Ron," Hermione smiled and got up to give Ron a hug, for a second Malfoy's face flashed through her head. Ron had definitely changed over the summer; he had lost that boyish look and was starting to look like a man. The Ball was in two weeks and was a major event every school year because it was a chance for the new prefects to show off their talent and prove their abilities to the student body. Moreover, The Head boy and Head Girl for the year were announced

"Alright, so what are your plans for today?" Ron asked with relaxed demeanor.

"Nothing much, I have some homework to catch up on so I thought I'd go to the library. I need to chat with Ginny for a while as well," she said, trying to picture her expression when she tells her that she'd been snogging Malfoy for the past few days.

"Alright, Harry and I are going to Hogmeade for a while so I'll see you later then," he said and leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Ok, see you," she said distantly as she placed her fingers on her cheek.

* * *

The halls were relatively empty expect for a few familiar faces here and there. Sundays weren't as eventful as Saturdays and usually consisted of catching up with school work whereas on Saturday's most of the student body was in Hogsmeade. She entered the library, not deterred by the busy atmosphere, and made her way toward to the end to library, where it was relatively empty. She set her bag down and the next few hours were spent absorbed in reading interesting books and finishing homework. She looked up to find a familiar face sitting at a table across from her, a familiar face she wasn't sure she wanted to see. Draco Malfoy was absorbed in the Potions textbook. Hermione was surprised; she didn't know Malfoy could read let alone do anything academic. She looked back at her textbook but it was too late, all of her thoughts were on Malfoy now. 

"Fancy seeing you see Granger," he said sarcastically and Hermione looked up to see Malfoy irritated more than usual. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were following me,"

"You don't know better," Hermione said equally agitated. "I have better things to do Malfoy," she said as she started gathering her things.

"Like what?" he asked. When Hermione didn't answer, he snatched the book from her hand and threw it across the floor. Hermione glared at him, luckily since they were in the back of the library not many people noticed.

"What's wrong with you?" she spat as she retrieved the book.

"I don't fancy being ignored," he said.

"Maybe you should get used to it," she said and started to leave. Draco followed her suite as she exited the hallway and the moment they were alone, Draco pinned her to the wall.

"Listen Mudblood, I'm having a bad day and I don't need your smart ass remarks to make it any better," he growled.

"If I'm not mistaken Malfoy, you started this conversation," she snapped.

"Draco!" He suddenly released Hermione from his grasp and turned around to see Pansy, he definitely didn't need this right now. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing, Mudblood here was annoying the crap out of me, as usual, so I thought I'd teach her a lesson," he said quickly before things got even more awkward. He could tell Pansy wasn't convinced but it was futile mentioning anything more. He looked back at Hermione struggling to balance her weight as her bag was stuffed with books. He could see pure hatred towards him and realized he was way behind square one at this point.

* * *

Ok, whew, long chappy…:D..but it doesn't seem to get anywhere…but then again I felt like I needed to explain the plot a lot more but I sort of like the way this is turning out..hopefully next chapter I'll get something going on..tell me what u think! And PLEASE don't be mean..it gets me into a writers block..:( 

Ok, so I know that a suggestion was made about Draco's thoughts and keeping him more mysterious, I know this chapter didn't reflect that because I read the review after writing this so, I'll definately keep that in mind next time.. Please don't think that I don't care about your reviews because **I do**.

**Things to look out for:**

Masquerade Ball

Head Girl/Head Boy- Duh, but I promise to make it as eventful as possible..I know its cliche but I need them to spend more time with each other...:\

Ciao! I kinda liked this chapter, what do you guys think?? _**Review!**_


	5. The Masquerade Ball

**_Chapter Five: The Masquerade Ball _**_**

* * *

**_

_"__Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.__"_

_--Jane Austen_

_**

* * *

**_

"How about this one?" Hermione asked as she pointed to a dress hidden beneath the others, she struggled to pull it out. Hermione and Ginny had spent the past three hours rummaging through racks and racks of dresses trying to find the perfect one for the upcoming Masquerade ball.

"Wow, it's gorgeous," Ginny squealed. The dress was indeed beautiful; the elegant full length dress held a sense of aristocracy coupled with a seductive edge. It was made out of pure silk and the neck was low which ended with a silver broach in the middle. The matching mask was adorned with a shiny grey glaze amidst the sporadic silver speckles.

"You're right, but can you see me wearing this? I mean, I don't think I can pull it off," Hermione commented, nervously glancing at the dress.

"Shut up, of course you can, besides we do want Malfoy to stare now, don't we?" she teased.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed. "I told you I don't want anything to do with that son of a bitch,"

"Except snog your brains out, right?" she giggled as Hermione blushed crimson red.

"I-It wasn't my fault," Hermione stammered, attempting to defend her actions; the attempt was utterly incompetent because the only person she was lying to was herself. Ginny didn't buy any of her excuses.

"_Sure_," Ginny said delving through the racks and picked out a red, provocative knee-length dress. Hermione looked at her horrified, there was no way Ginny was going to wear that. "I'm joking" she said and placed it back into the rack. The moment Hermione told her about Draco, Ginny was convinced that they had a "thing" for each other which was of course, absurd.

They left the store with their dresses and made their way to a nearby coffee shop, while chatting about school and the up coming dance.

"Heard Malfoy's bringing Pansy," Ginny asked as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"And I care because?" Hermione asked as she waited for her mocha latte to cool before she picked it up and took a small sip and let the bitter-sweet indulge her senses.

"Just thought I'd let you know," Ginny said.

"Stop it Ginny, I really don't want anything to do with Malfoy," Hermione said seriously. Ginny knew she'd crossed the line and the next ten minutes were spent silently enjoying the coffee while observing the busy street through the glass window. For Hermione, the anxiety was slowly escalating. She hadn't encountered Malfoy since their strife outside the library and noticed that in the past few days though Malfoy had many opportunities to approach her, he chose to avoid any kind of communication which increased her frustration.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Ginny called out. She tapped her foot impatiently while reminiscing on old memories, she couldn't believe Hermione was leaving this year and couldn't imagine Hogwarts without her. 

"Oh God," Hermione said nervously as she stepped out. "I shouldn't have let you talk me into this,"

"Oh God is right!" Ginny squealed as she motioned her to twirl around. Hermione looked gorgeous and the dress accentuated her sensual curves more than ever. Hermione picked up her mask and looked at herself one more time before stepping out of her room into the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Harry were waiting for them. The dress was pure white and covered with a thin lining of silver lace. Hermione's hair was slightly curled and covered her delicate shoulders adding to her angelic appearance.

"You look beautiful," Ron complimented as he offered his hand.

"Thank you, you look beautiful too," Hermione grinned and gladly accepted his hand. The moment they walked out of the common room, they put their masks on and made their way to the ballroom.

* * *

The Great Hall was enlarged to fit the heavy decorations and the live band. It was exquisitely decorated with satin ribbons representing each house. The room was relatively dark complimenting the theme and an air of mystery surrounded the students. Hermione held on to Ron's hand as she made her way through the hall noticing this year's new additions. The ceiling was bewitched into a dark, moonlit sky which illuminated most of the ballroom. The Masquerade was a yearly tradition and was followed religiously. No one was allowed to reveal their identity until the strike of twelve when Dumbledore announced the Head Boy and Head Girl for the new school year. After they revealed their identity, everyone else took off their partners masks. Since her first year, Hermione spent most of her time with Ron and Harry so unveiling her mystery man was a parody. At the end of the night many people ended up with someone quite unexpected, this ball had a reputation of initiating many relationships. 

"You really do look gorgeous today," she heard Ron whisper as he leaded her to the back while most of the student body was on the dance floor.

"Thanks," she replied, blushing.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. Hermione nodded and watched him walk towards the tables filled with different varieties of sweets and refreshments. In the meantime, she started walking around noticing Ginny and Harry looking completely flustered. Ginny and Harry started dating at the end of his fifth year and their relationship has grown ever since. Hermione envied them, Harry was the perfect gentlemen and Ginny was completely head over heels. She grinned, thinking about his confrontation with Ron, Harry was terrified. Ron on the other hand seriously considered killing Harry for the first five minutes but then realized that he was the best thing for Ginny.

* * *

Draco walked around the ball room like a zombie, oblivious to everything around him. The past few days had been living hell, his fathers visit didn't help either. His mind reverted back to last week: 

_"I am disappointed Draco," Lucius said dryly while taking a seat at his desk. Draco stood in front of him, head down and listening intently to his father's rather boring lecture which always stared the same way. "Why didn't you complete the task?" _

_"Father, I hardly see the mudblood and we're so different, it'll take time," Draco said trying to sound as obedient as possible. Lucius suddenly grabbed Draco by the collar and glared at his son. _

_"I need to answer to the Dark Lord. The mudblood is the only way to get to Potter," his father spat. Draco felt like he'd been slapped across the face, of course why hadn't he thought of this before? His father's life revolved around Voldemort. "You know what, forget it. I know you're not worth it." He released Draco and started to leave. _

_"What? Father, I can do it," Draco said quickly trying to stop his father. _

_"No, I have a better plan." _

Draco snapped back to reality as he made his way to an empty table, he'd come with Pansy but decided against spending time with her. He felt broken, worthless and depressed. Part of him wanted to warn Granger that his father won't stop at anything to get to Potter but the other part told him to avoid her. For his whole life, Draco was disillusioned by his father's intentions, his father didn't love anyone. He and his mother were just pawns in his game to be the next in line after Voldemort. His insatiable hunger for power and greed ruled his life, family meant nothing to him.

Draco couldn't take this anymore, his life was a _fucking _mess and just as he was about to leave, from the corner of his eye a girl caught his eye. He cursed at himself for thinking about girls at the moment but before he could stop himself he turned towards her. She was beyond beautiful; her white dress worked wonders and complimented every single curve on her luscious body. She somehow looked familiar but the thought was soon replaced by a longing to touch her glowing, porcelain skin.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked as he offered his hand. _God, she was gorgeous _he thought as his mind was racing to identify her.

"Sure," she said quietly and took his hand. He led her to the middle of dance floor as his hands slithered around her waist and quietly smiled to himself as he felt her body quiver at his touch.

* * *

Hermione's mind was racing, _Who was this?_ As they made their way onto the dance floor, it felt like she went through every single male she'd known ever since first year. In one swift movement, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and started to dance to the beat of the music, it was a slow song and Hermione unknowingly wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn't sure how long this went on but she didn't want it to stop. After half an hour of dancing, she gave up trying to unmask the mystery man and started to relax and enjoy herself. 

"Let's get some fresh air," he said and taking her hand, he led to outside into the balcony. Hermione stepped outside and felt the cool air soothe her tense muscles and left her feeling refreshed. He didn't say much as she noticed him standing there with his hands in his pocket, he looked so familiar. She was quite uncomfortable, neither said a thing for the next five minutes and she took this time to examine his attire. He wore a suit just like anyone else but his tie was a dark, forest green that hung loosely from him strong neck. She noticed a long silver necklace glistening in the moonlight and leaned in struggling to see the pendant but at that moment he turned towards her and she immediately looked away.

"Oh, forgive me I haven't been thinking straight lately," he mumbled. Hermione immediately crossed off Malfoy from her list, there was no way he could be that egotistical asshole. Malfoy would've probably said something obscure like "Like what you see?" Hermione rolled her eyes as she displaced these unwanted thoughts from her mind.

"You look really beautiful tonight," he said as she turned and faced her. Somehow, the way he said it surpassed Ron's attempt and left her feeling elated.

"Thank you," she replied. He leaned over and gently placed his lips on hers and Hermione didn't think twice before wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into him. He was so gentle and didn't rush; meanwhile his hands slowly ran up and down her back. Hermione push into him harder and lost herself to the heat of the moment. She let out a small moan as she felt his tongue on her neck, and struggled to find her balance. At that moment, Dumbledore's voice could be heard from the inside but it didn't seem to bother either of them.

"I hope this year will bring prosperity and happiness as always, I'd like to thank the prefects for arranging this memorable evening, we all know how hard you worked on this, I'm grateful for your help. Furthermore, I'm happy to announce this year's Head Boy and Head Girl," he paused for a second letting the tense atmosphere aggravate before he spoke in his signature clear, crisp voice. _"Harry Potter and Pansy Parkinson," _

Hermione pulled away and gasped, unable to comprehend what she'd just heard. She turned to see the mystery man looking equally if not more agitated. Then, her heartbeat raced at what she heard next.

"Now, unmask your respective partner," he said. Hermione slowly raised her hands to his face before he grabbed her wrist stopping her midway.

"No," he simply said and swiftly turned around and walked back into the ballroom. Hermione tried to catch up with him but it was hard to rush in her dress and when she stepped back into the Great Hall, he was no where to be found. Draco, on the other hand had stayed in her vicinity and cursed at himself for leaving her but he didn't want rumors going around Hogwarts that Malfoy can be a gentlemen, he shuddered at the thought. He wasn't sure why he was nice to her but _Oh Merlin,_ she was gorgeous. His expression suddenly changed as he noticed a familiar red head approach her and what he heard next made his mind spin out of control.

"Hermione!" Ron called. Hermione turned around and walked towards Ron, he quickly took off her mask. She kept looking around for the masked stranger but decided it was pointless, he was gone.

"G-Granger?" he whispered as he watched her talking to Ron. _Oh, Shit_ he thought.

* * *

What do you guys think of this one??? Ha, You didn't expect it did you?? Muhahaha…yup, its Harry and Pansy, that should be interesting right?? Wait and find out!! Don't forget to review! 

**I did edit this a few times but tell me if i made any mistakes, thanks!**

Thank You!! Oh, and I just wanted to say:

**brooklynsam3**: it was like you read my mind!

Ciao!


	6. Confrontation

**_Chapter Six: Confrontation_**

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" _Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.__"_

--Unknown

* * *

Harry struggled to maintain his balance as he lugged his stuff up the stairs towards the Head Boys room. With Hedwig's cage in one hand and few books on the other, he slowly made his way to his room. Hedwig hooted in agitation at the sporadic movement of the cage as Harry entered the room, set the cage down and dropped his books on the table nearby. He dropped onto the huge king-sized bed and sighed while thinking about living the rest of the year living with Pansy. What did he do to deserve this? His last year at Hogwarts, away from his friends, away from his house and stuck with Pansy, _Brilliant_ he sighed as he entered the common room.

The room was indulged in both green and gold, from the curtains to the chairs, Dumbledore did one heck of a job trying to bring the two houses together. Harry snorted, it was easier said than done. He looked around trying to look for Pansy, a truce seemed plausible but he doubted the other party's cooperation.

"Potter," she stated simply. There was nothing more to say. Though she hated to admit it, Potter wasn't bad to look at on a daily basis. He'd definitely grown out of that scrawny phase and developed into a man, a very handsome man at that.

"Parkinson," he said. She liked the way her name sounded coming from him. She quickly brushed these thoughts away.

"Just want to let you know that nothing is going to change," she stated and walked away.

"Ok?" Harry said stupidly to himself. "Women," he muttered and walked back into his room and decided to start on his Potions essay. The next few hours were spent in silence except for the scratching of his quill. He flipped through the Potions textbook gathering facts, data and what not to support his thesis. Snape loved to torment his students by assigning long, difficult essays that were due faster than you can say Quidditch. Harry sighed and dropped his quill and quickly scanned his work, he really should go back and perfect the draft but decided Snape wasn't worth it, it wasn't like he'd ever appreciate Harry's work, if anything he'd look for errors.

He glanced at the frame placed on the corner of his desk it was a picture of him and Ginny. He slowly picked it up smiling, Ginny was laughing as Harry's arms were wrapped around her waist. It was taken just outside of the Forbidden forest on one of their rendezvous with Hagrid. Like any other relationship, they had their share of problems but Harry learned to take the bad with the good, hell he wanted to take anything as long as it was with Ginny. Harry loved her and he admitted it to himself, Ron and Hermione but not to Ginny. To put it simply, he was scared of confessing his love for her and then not being there for her due to an unfortunate turn of events also known as the story of his life. After Sirius's death, he broke it off scared of losing her but soon realized that he couldn't live without her. Ginny had a passion for life and living it to the fullest, she managed to teach him to lighten up a little, helping him realize the past is over and done with but the future is in our hands. As much as Harry admired Ginny's optimism he knew the future wasn't in his hands, Voldemort has returned and he'd have to face him sooner than later. Dumbledore has always been supportive and kept him up to date about the remaining horcruxes but both of them knew this was just the tip of the iceberg and a long, grim battle awaits them. A knock on the door interrupted his train of thoughts and he got up, opened the door to see Ginny. He quietly let her in and closed the door promptly.

"Hey Harry," she said quietly.

"Hey," he replied softy. Right now their relationship was definitely taking a beating and Harry was to blame. The past few days were spent arguing about the course of their relationship after he left Hogwarts, he was surprised to find that Ginny, out of all people, was thinking about the future. As usual one thing led to another and they said some things they shouldn't have said.

"Harry, we need to think about next year whether you like it or not," she said.

"The way I see it, if I live next year we'd still be together," he said coolly. He hated talking about the future especially with Ginny.

"What do you been if I live next year?" Ginny said irritated by his insensitiveness towards the topic.

"I might have to fight Voldemort this year and there is a good chance I might die while doing it," he snapped. Ginny glared at him, this time he'd gone too far and he knew it.

"Fine, then we shouldn't even be worrying about this," she said and started to leave. Harry clenched his fist trying to control his anger and quickly shut the door before Ginny could reach the knob.

"What the _fuck_ do you want me to say, huh?" he yelled furiously. She didn't reply.

"Gin, why are you thinking about the future? Live for the moment, remember?" Harry said slowly regaining composure following his outburst.

"Because I want this moment to last forever" she broke down and covered her face with her hands. "Harry, if anything happens to you—" she stopped midway choking on her tears. Harry quickly embraced her tightly and noticed his vision clouding as well.

"Don't worry about me I'll be fine." He whispered knowing she won't believe him, heck he doesn't believe it himself.

"Harry, what I don't see you after this year? What if I don't see you after Hogwarts?" she whispered.

"Now, let's not get paranoid," he said. Ginny pulled free and gave him an icy stare.

"Why do you always push me away when I'm trying to be realistic?" she snapped. Harry looked down, he wasn't sure how to answer her. Actually, he did but didn't know whether she was ready to hear it.

"I'm afraid to lose you Ginny," he said.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said looking at him sadly as she held his hand reassuring her support.

"You don't get it," he said quietly.

"Maybe I would if you just tell me!" she said frustrated by his oblivious responses. Harry clenched his fist again, trying to control his emotions and contemplating on whether to convey his feelings to her at this point of time. No better time than the present he concluded.

"I Love you, alright" he said feeling both anxious and relieved at the same time. He was afraid to look at her, afraid of her reaction. He quickly felt her arms around his neck and heard her softy cry as she held him. He wasn't sure how much time had elapsed and honestly he didn't care, he was happy to be in her arms. His future may seem desolate but Ginny was like a ray of hope and a cause to fight for.

"I love you too," she whispered. Harry was caught off guard but he didn't say anything, he didn't want to ruin this moment, even though it wouldn't last forever. The tranquil atmosphere was royally shattered when Pansy Parkinson decided to grace them with her presence.

"Potter, we have duty tonight so can we continue this later?" she said sarcastically wearing the signature slytherin smirk. Harry glared at her; living with Parkinson is going to be hell on earth.

* * *

**Now, for something completely different, I wanted to give Harry's perspective too because a lot is gonna happen in the next few chapters…you might've guessed. …but..im not gonna give u any hints this time :P**

**Im _neutral_ about this chapter, dont think its bad but could've been better. Edited it as much as i could..tell me if u find mistakes!**

**Bye, and thank you soo much for ur patience. Im going out of the country this weekend so Ill try to update as much as possible before I leave. Thanks Again!**

**love! )**


	7. Befriend the Enemy

_**Chapter Seven: Befriend the Enemy**_

* * *

"_If you know the **enemy** and know** yourself** you need not fear the results of a hundred battles._"

--Sun Tzu

* * *

So it was Granger. Draco concluded for the nth time. Granger. Hermione. Gorgeous. He groaned as he tousled around in his bed, why did she have to be so _fucking_ gorgeous? Memories of the Ball streamed into his head, the feel of her soft, angelic skin and his lips consuming her. He placed his head in his hands as he got up, there was no point on reminiscing on old thoughts, once Granger finds out she'd been snogging with Malfoy…again, and she won't be pleased. 

He glanced at his messy, distorted table filled with pieces of past and present assignments he'd been working on for the last few days rather than spending time with friends. He didn't even visit Pansy since she left the house. He needed to think. At the corner of his desk, underneath the Potions assignment was the letter he'd started to his father.

_God, what's the point? _

He basically disowned me as his child and probably found someone else to do his dirty work. This letter was proof of Draco's inability to tell his father that he can't hurt Hermione. At least he's admitting it, that's the first step towards solving the problem. He snorted, what problem? Granger was probably frolicking with her so called friends without a care in the world and here he was agonizing over his feelings for her. He needed to confront her and tell her that he cared but what if she questions his intentions; he doesn't have an answer for that. Soon word will get out that the Slytherin prince and is dating the Gryffindor nerd; he could hear the laughter ringing in his ears now. He blankly looked at the calendar on the wall; every month had a famous Quidditch player zooming through the page. December was none other than Victor Krum, He suddenly realized that Christmas was only a week away, he had to go shopping.He pulled himself out of bed and nearly had a heart attack looking at his reflection, he looked worse than death. With the lack of sleep, there were dark circles around his eyes and his hair were a wreck.

* * *

Draco walked through Hogsmeade aimlessly trying to find a gift for Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Granger? She'd be insulted if he gave her anything, a gift for letting him snog her endlessly. He could picture her reaction; a piercing look accompanied by an insult or two. 

"Draco," he turned around to see Blaise Zabini struggling to carry his bags.

"Hey," Draco said, as he walked up to help him with his bags. "Shopping?" he added with a smirk.

"How could you guess?" Blaise said innocently. "I need to talk to you," He said seriously.

"Should I be worried?"

"No, just meet me in Hog's Head after your done, ok?" he added and took the bags from Draco slowly making his way to the pub across the street. Draco was surprised, what did Blaise have to say to him; suddenly he didn't feel like going Christmas shopping anymore but decided to get it over with.

* * *

"Butterbeer?" Blaise asked. They'd been sitting around for the past half hour catching up with what's been happening in school and Quidditch. Draco was waiting for Blaise to bring up the topic. 

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" He couldn't resist, the suspense was killing him.

"Yeah," Blaise added seriously. "You know that I came to school a week later than everyone else right?"

"Right, because you were ill. My father mentioned it, weren't you at Mungos?"

"Yeah, while I was at Mungos Pansy's father came over and had a chat with my father, and yours," he said quietly. Draco leaned over to hear better, the place was packed, and Blaise was close to whispering. Interesting, Draco thought, father never mentioned this.

"I overheard them saying that Voldemort—" his voice was barely a whisper now.

"Speak up," Draco said irritably.

"Ok, I overheard them saying that you-know-who is building an army."

"What?" Draco said, confused. "He's too weak, right now all he wants is Potter," He contradicted.

"No Draco, he's out there building an army of Death Eaters, brain washing muggles and rallying them in,"

"He's using muggles!" Draco said. Blaise violently signaled for him to stay silent.

"Yeah, muggles." He said. Draco's mind was racing, An army for what?

"On a lighter note, heard you snogged Granger" he said, grinning.

"You heard right," Draco said sipping from his mug. His mind was still stuck on Blaise's confession; the army would be for Potter and Dumbledore.

"Did you visit Pansy?"

"No, not yet."

"Poor girl, I pity her. Rest of the year with Potter, that's harsh."

"Yeah," he said distantly, his mind wasn't on Blaise's small talk. They finished their drinks and walked out with their bags

_

* * *

_

_Befriend the enemy._

Pansy read the line once more before setting the letter on her desk. How the hell was she supposed to do that? Potter isn't even in her vicinity half of the time. They live across each other but rarely ever spoke. She sighed, the letter clearly stated not to tell anyone so she couldn't talk to Draco about this. Part of her didn't want to tell Draco, he isn't thinking straight for the past few days and she knew the cause of his agitation, Granger. She sighed again wishing Draco would just open up to her but brushed these thoughts away to concentrate on the task at hand. She walked out of the door and found Potter sitting in their common room working on homework. She took a seat beside him.

"Yes?" he asked, confused.

"Look Potter, this is our last year together and we shouldn't waste it by bickeing at each other," she said calmly.

"Ok?" he asked, even more confused.

"Great, then its settled," she said as she got up and extended her hand. "Truce?" she asked. Harry looked at her confused. _Women_, he thought again. He thought of declining but decided to take a chance. He extended his hand and accepted.

"Arithmacy homework?" she asked. Harry looked down and frowned.

"Always hated this class"

"It's not that bad Potter," she said sitting next to him, looking over his work. Harry took this time to study her features, she had a delicate face that was nearly flawless except for a small, birth mark just above the corner of her lips. Her eyes were mesmorizing, light, almost translucent blue with specks of gray that reflected the fire. He wasn't sure why she wanted a truce but he had to be careful with her, you can never trust a Slytherin.

* * *

**Ok. YAY, another update. Had to make up for lost time. Umm, im not sure what the army is about. I have a rough sketch but I have to go back to the real books and check out a few things. I'm sorry for not including a LOT of dramoine**

**Hope I didnt move a little too fast with Pansy's truce but I felt it was necessary. Promise to include Dramoine in my next chappie!! lol..maybe..depends...u gotta wait!!..lol...Um, I edited this, but if u find any mistakes, tell me! Im really anal about tht. **

**next chapter, its Christmas..**

**Ill TRY to update ONCE more before I leave OR I'll give u a preview of the next chapter at least. I'll try my best.**

**Thanks, dont forget to R&R**

**bye!**


	8. A Twist of Fate

_**Chapter Eight: A Twist of Fate**_

_**

* * *

**_

_"Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him."_

_--_Henry Miller

* * *

Hermione finished wrapping the last present and took her quill and neatly wrote 'Ginny Weasley' across the card carefully placing it into the pile next to her bed. The wooden floor was filled with wrapping paper, tape and small scraps. She took all of the presents and placed them underneath her bed and started clean the mess. Though she could've used her wand and wrapped them instantly, she insisted on wrapping them herself. She remembered as a child, sitting in her room and wrapping her presents while anticipating her parents' gifts, she smiled recalling her childhood memories. After cleaning she walked into the common room to find Ron working on his homework and choose not to disturb him. She left the common room and walked towards the Great Hall, the Christmas spirit was in full swing at Hogwarts. The house elves were helping set up the traditional twelve Christmas trees and the castle ghosts went around singing Christmas carols. The Hall was heavily decorated while the ceiling was bewitched so tiny snow flakes fell almost touching the trees yet disappearing just before doing so. She had to commend Harry on doing a brilliant job with the decorations, the Head Boy and Head Girl were in charge of decorating the Hall while the prefects attended to the hallways. She grabbed an apple and left to visit Harry before he murdered her. With her heavy expected coursework before every Christmas vacation, she didn't get a chance to visit Harry after he left Gryffindor. 

She stood in front of the door trying to remember the password, Ron mentioned it to her a couple of times. As she was brooding, the door opened to reveal none other than Draco Malfoy. Hermione was caught off guard, she hadn't seen him for more than a month since their meeting outside in the library. Neither of them said a word but stood observing each other almost as if trying to remember one another.

"Malfoy," Hermione said. She had to break the silence, the tension between them was escalating . He didn't reply immediately.

"Granger," he replied. "Come to visit Pothead?" he added after a pause. Hermione glared at him, she realized the one Malfoy free month wasn't too bad. She silently walked past him without saying a word. He suddenly grabbed her hand and spun her around.

"I told you I hate being ignored," he growled.

"And I told you to get used to it," she replied, struggling under his grip. Just then Harry Potter and Pansy Parkinson walked out. Draco immediately released her hand and looked at Pansy who looked suspicious. The atmosphere tensed as Harry glared at Draco while Hermione gave Pansy an icy stare. Harry was nervous, he wanted to acknowledge Hermione about their inadvertent truce alone.

"Hey Hermione," he said casually, trying to ease the apprehension. Hermione smiled.

"Hey Harry, I just came to see you" she said.

"Alright, I'll just meet up with you later Harry," Pansy announced deliberately. Hermione spun around with a look of bewilderment and Harry just signaled her to stay calm and led her inside. Draco on the other hand didn't take it to well.

"Pansy, What the fuck?" he said furiously, he didn't want her anywhere near Pothead.

"Draco, please I'm sick of fighting," she said softly. This threw Draco off the edge, he grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her hoping to bring her back to her senses.

"So you befriend Potter!" he growled.

"Yeah," she said simply, she wasn't afraid of him she knew him inside and out. "I never said anything when you went around with Granger," she added.

"Who told you that? I never went around with that mudblood," he said

"People talk Draco," she stated.

"And you believe them?" he asked

"I'm forced to! I saw you with her that day outside of the library. I'm not blind."

"So you take revenge by talking to Wonder Boy?" he asked.

"If that's the way you want to take it, be my guest," she said, at least this way she didn't have to fabricate another lie to cover her truce with Potter.

* * *

Ginny Weasley took a sip of her hot chocolate while walking around the empty Quidditch field with Harry. It was cold but not freezing which is odd because it nearly Christmas but there were no signs of any snow fall this year. When he told her about Pansy's expeditious truce she was a little worried about her concealed intentions but soon knew she could trust Harry. 

"I still don't understand," he said interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" she asked.

"Why is Pansy talking to me? I mean the truce was completely unpredicted,"

"Maybe she needed more friends?" Ginny teased.

"I'm being serious," Harry said. "It doesn't make sense, I don't trust her at all."

"Then don't," Ginny said and set her hot chocolate on the nearby bench and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We're talking a lot about Pansy these days, is there something I should know Harry? I mean you do live with her," she added innocently.

"Sorry, I don't kiss and tell," he played along.

"Looks like you learned a lot from the Slytherin," she said coyly. Harry closed the gap between them and kissed her gently. Ginny deepened the kiss as she leaned into his strong frame. He quickly unzipped her light jacket and snaked his arms around her waist while his lips danced towards the nape of her neck. Ginny moaned as she felt his hands move up her shirt.

"Harry, stop," she said. Harry immediately looked up with concern.

"Why, what happened?"

"Nothing, I just don't want things to get out of hand," Ginny said quietly. She wasn't ready and she knew it hurt him, she loved him more than anything but didn't want to take the next step. Part of her was afraid she'll regret it and the other part just wasn't ready. "Sorry," she whispered softly.

"No, no, Gin don't be sorry," he said, looking into her chocolate brown orbs. "Whenever you're ready," He kissed her forehead as they walked back into the castle.

* * *

Christmas was only two days away and was evident in almost every corner of the castle. The prefects really out did themselves this year with lavish decorations at every junction. Christmas carols could be heard throughout the castle, most students bore an unworried, relaxed expression while sauntering through the hallways excited about the holiday and the New Year. The library was nearly empty except for Hermione Granger who committed to her holiday homework a bit earlier than most students to say the least. She'd been vigoursly taking notes for Muggle Studies for the past hour and put her quill down and re-read her work while cracking her knuckles, a bad habit she couldn't get out of. She started packing her bag, this was enough for one day, and her mind reverted back to the masked man at the Ball. She knew it was impotent to be thinking about him which is partly the reason she kept herself busy throughout the day. She had to drop off a letter at the owlery addressed to her parents, she usually sent them a card but delivered the presents at a later point in time. She used to send them presents but a neighbor witnessed the owl dropping it off and complained to animal control about an owl dropping off a suspicious package. She walked through the hallways which were relatively empty, most of the student body was in Hogsmeade either enjoying their days off or buying last minute presents. Just as she turned the corner, she felt two strong arms cover her mouth and seize her hands, she panicked. Hermione's eyes scanned the hallway to see if anyone could save her but it was futile, her captor dragged her into an empty classroom and she spun around. 

"Malfoy!," she growled, her body shaking with anger.

"Nice to see you to too, mudblood," he sneered.

"Let me out," she said making her way towards the door only to have his strong arms encircle her waist once more.

"Not so fast," he said. "Now, before I change my mind, shut up and listen to what I have to say,"

"Why should listen to anything you have to say, you self-centered prick," she spat.

"I love you too darling, but I don't have time for bickering" he said sarcastically. "I don't know why I'm confiding in you but I need your advice, I know something about you-know-who," he added silently. Hermione was startled at the seriousness in his tone, something that was completely foreign to her.

"What do you know?" she asked.

"I can't tell you but I need to tell Dumbledore,"

"Then why did you bring me here?" she questioned.

"Argh, don't you get it, I'm a Slytherin I can't just waltz up to Dumbledore and tell him everything I know, unlike you I have people to answer to and I can't betray my own" he said sternly.

"Your own?" Hermione questioned. "You're pathetic, telling Dumbledore is the right thing to do and you know it, you just can't get past that blasted ego of yours or maybe your scared." Draco was infuriated at her frankness, he wasn't sure why he was speaking to her about it but after seeing Pansy running after Scarhead he didn't know who to ask. He contemplated on whether he should tell her but decided against telling the Gryffindor anything.

"What did you find out?" she asked inquisitively, curiousity getting the better of her.

"Like I'll ever tell you," he snorted still lost in thought. Hermione didn't say anything, she wasn't hurt and was used to his impulsive, sharp comments. She was partly glad he was considering on telling Dumbledore, _Maybe there's some good left in you Malfoy_ she thought. As she watched him thinking, she couldn't help notice a difference in his personality, he was hiding something. Her eyes noticed a familiar chain around his neck, she leaned it to get a closer look. Memories of the Ball came flooding into her head and she panicked. It was him, the mystery man. Her head started spinning as she heard her heartbeat racing. She finally looked up at him and was met with a puzzled expression.

"Granger, are you always this weird?" he asked.

"You," she managed. Draco immediately understood. "Why?"

"Don't go overboard Granger, unfortunately I didn't know it was you until after the ceremony," he explained. He took three strides and was a few inches away from her face. "Nevertheless, you were bloody gorgeous" he smirked as he watched her blush. "For a mudblood," Before she could protest, he seized her lips, _oh god_, he missed the taste of her lips it'd been so long, too long in his opinion. His hands quickly found that spot on her lower back which made her arch her back and moan in his mouth. His lips quickly traveled down her neck, savoring each and every inch of her delicate skin. Hermione's hands slithered into his robe and found their way onto his bare stomach, Draco hissed at the feel of her cold hands on his hot skin.

"Meet me in the Astronomy tower?" he asked while sucking on her ear lobe.

"When?" she asked, surprised at her response. Draco stopped and looked into her eyes, was this really Granger?

"Tomorrow night," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

"Draco?" Draco immediately released Hermione and pun around to find Pansy with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

_YAY, another update, I'm fairly happy with this chapter. Hope Draco isnt to OOC in this!! and sorry for the cliffy ) but i couldnt resist. Ill try to update ONCE more before i leave but it'll probably just be a preview. _

_please read and review!! feel free to ask me any questions about the plot, im just figuring it out myself but things are starting to slowly fall into place..i hope... -.-;;;_

_bye! thank you soo much for the reviewers, soo encouraging!_


	9. Christmas Bluespart one

_**Chapter Nine: Christmas Blues-part one**_

* * *

_"Thoughts is **subversive **and **r**evolutionary, **destructive** and terrible; thought is **merciless** to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit._ "

--Bertrand Russell

* * *

Pansy stormed into the common room, angry was an understatement compared to how she was feeling at that moment. She slammed the door and sank down sobbing, so this is what it felt like to be backstabbed. _How could he do this to her? _She thought. Even after she confronted him about seeing Granger, he denied it by lying to her face. Just when she was accepting the fact that he didn't love her, Granger happens. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Harry Potter eyeing her with concern. She looked into those famous green eyes, her vision clouding once more as she covered her face with her face, her body shaking with sobs. 

"Pansy," he said softly. He placed his arms on her shoulders and helped her up. "What happened?" She deliberated on whether to tell him what she witnessed, he'd uncover the truth either way.

"It's not fair," she started.

"What's not fair?" he said softly. "Hey, look at me," She looked up and he was met with her exotic eyes, _Wow, they are beautiful_ he thought but now, they were clouded with pain and anxiety.

"I just saw Granger and Draco together," she said her voice breaking in the process.

"Together? What do you mean together?" Harry asked, on the verge of having a panic attack, though he knew exactly what she meant. "When?" he added after pausing for a god minute hoping she'd add a 'just kidding' at the end. _It couldn't be true Hermione and Malfoy? Not in a million years_ he thought.

"Just now," she replied. "Why does it matter? The point is it happened, I knew he was up to something," Harry looked at Pansy and was startled as he felt her arms being wrapped around him; he returned the hug cautiously signaling his support. She slowly withdrew, their faces inches apart, everything completely still. He was stunned by her magnetic eyes, it was hazy as to who leaned in first but the moment he felt Pansy's lips, fire met ice, and all the rational thoughts floating around in his head were gone and replaced by pure physical desire. He knew he was potentially committing the biggest mistake of his life but at that moment it didn't matter. Pansy deepened the kiss by running her hands to the back of his head. Harry pushed her against the wall and she felt the cool surface on her back, he ravished her, his hands traveled up her thighs and in one fell swoop lifted her off the ground, making her gasp in surprise and gaining better access inside her mouth. His lips clambered down her neck and Pansy let out a moan which only encouraged Harry to continue. His lips crushed against hers once more, Pansy was overwhelmed by his passion she'd never imagined Potter had it in him. Just as Pansy started to unbutton his shirt, Harry suddenly backed away his eyes glistening with newly formed tears. Before Pansy could stop him, he left towards his room and collapsed on his bed. _What just happened? _He thought. Flashes of the sin he'd committed passed through his head ending with Ginny's face. He closed his eyes hoping to forget the pain. Memories of their relationships passed through his head starting from the first time he'd asked her out to when he confessed his love for her last week. He got up unable to face the reality of the situation: he was a terrible person. _How could he betray her?_ He leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands on forehead and started crying.

* * *

Pansy was confused, to say the least. It took her a full ten minutes after Harry left to grasp the gravity of the situation. She'd just snogged Harry Potter. She could see it now, once word got out that "Parkinson stole Potter from Weasley" her already blemished reputation would take a turn for the worse. Through the years, Pansy was known to be easy shag, nothing more. Given, she did make numerous blunders during her early teen years, especially in the boy's department but she'd grown out of that phase and like any teenage girl, wanted a stable relationship. Maybe that's why she envied Granger, who still had her dignity and everyone took her seriously, unlike hers, Granger's opinion mattered. 

Other than Draco, Harry was the first man in her life that treated her like a girl and not a sex toy. He listened to her patiently, gave rather useful advice without the sugar-coated sympathy and confronted her when she did something wrong though she'd been tormenting him for the past six years. She stared at the letter on her desk and wasn't sure if she wanted to risk what she had with him. The letter also informed her of her engagement with Draco in the following year, she sighed that was questionable now. Until today, she was ready to marry Draco though he didn't love her hoping if they lived together his feelings would change but now, she felt like she has something to look forward to.

* * *

Order was integral part of Hermione Grangers life, from her neatly arranged closet to the alphabetically organized book case by her bedside, no wonder she followed directions extremely well. A neat set of conditions one needed to follow to complete a task at hand, who could ask for more? She loved following a daily routine and often became frustrated when it was disturbed. The day Draco Malfoy walked into her life, the word order ceased to exist and Hermione's perfect world was replaced with chaos. According to her, chaos wasn't always a bad thing she was intrigued in the beginning and this motivated her to play along with Malfoy's silly game, to let him dominate over her and snog her senseless. Now, things have changed, they've taken a turn for the worse. Now, it wasn't silly anymore and as she sat on her desk observing her messy closet which surprisingly accurately portrayed the state of things at the moment she felt nostalgic. As she started to pick up the clothes spread out on the floor of the closet she wanted order to return. Hermione realized chaos was a dangerous thing, it engulfs your life and before you know it, things start to get complicated and solutions involve betrayals and soon find yourself caught up in a web of lies. 

She took out a scrap piece of parchment and quill making an attempt to work with whatever "order" she had left neatly splitting the piece into two even sections. She marked one side with a '+' and the other '-'. It took her a while to think of the positives coming out of this and an even longer time to admit it, but in the end wrote _Got to snog the Slytherin Prince' _She made a mental note to discard this parchment immediately afterwards. After seriously considering ripping the piece to shreds, she moved onto the negatives not having a problem figuring this part out. _Pansy saw us, succumbing to an arrogant son of a bitch, might affect her friendship with Ron and Harry. _She was quite proud of what she's accomplished and the negatives clearly outweighed the opinionated positive. Hermione spent the next hour trying cleaning her closet and vowing to get order back into her life.

Hermione sat down; exhausted. She'd organized her closet and admired her color-coordinated outfits next to her neat, iron pressed uniform eschew of any wrinkles. She used her wand to organize her textbooks that were spread out decrepitly on her desk, making sure there were alphabetized. Just when order was slowly starting to creep back into Hermione Granger's life, chaos came-a-knocking in the form of an owl impatiently tapping on her window. Hermione opened the window and it dropped the note and immediately left though she offered water. She opened the note and noticed the neat, cursive writing immediately, it was from Draco Malfoy.

_Don't forget, Astronomy Tower tomorrow night. _

_--D.M._

Before contemplating on whether to go, she was first bothered by the ambiguity of his message. _Define night, _she thought closing her eyes for a moment, silently promising herself to use this opportunity as a closure, but in the back of her mind she feared that chaos was back for revenge.

* * *

He knew Pansy was hurt but he also knew she was extremely stubborn and wouldn't talk to him so running after her would've been futile. He was alone in the relatively empty Slytherin common excluding a small group of first years. Christmas was the only time of year when it wasn't swamped and Draco couldn't be happier. His life was a mess, Pansy caught him with Granger, fraternizing with Potter, His father fabricated the rest of his life and the N.E.W.T.S were less than three months away. Everything was just peachy-keen. Oh, he forgot, Voldemort was building an army. He grabbed his broom and left the common room feeling claustrophobic and was in desperate need of fresh air. Flying usually helped clear his head but today even that was delusive. He'd managed to decide on one thing, Granger had to be out of his life no matter what if he wanted any chance of enjoying his last few months at Hogwarts.

* * *

**Good, Bad? Tell me! I'll try to update while I'm away…I know this is a short chapter, soorry :( but i tried. If i continued, it probably would've left you guys with another cliffhanger...**

**Next chapter: Christmas Blues part two..tehehe no more clues :P**

**take care**


	10. Christmas Bluespart two

_**Chapter Ten: Christmas Blues—part two**_

Ginny Weasley knew he was hiding something from her, their relationship over the past two years has certainly taught her one thing about Harry, he couldn't keep secrets. Though she could just wait for him to spill it out, she couldn't help but be curious. She'd asked on countless occasions but he replied with an innocent "nothing," before quickly changing the subject. Whenever she visited him, Pansy was no where to be seen, maybe their truce didn't work out, but why would he hide that from her. She looked up at Harry who still had the same vacant expression, his eyes motionless and seemed to be lost in thought. The Christmas party was less than an hour away and Ginny knew she had to get ready. _Five minutes_, she thought lazily not wanting to leave the warmth of his body.

"Harry?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah," he said half-heartedly, his voice just above a whisper.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Harry didn't panic; she'd asked him the same question at least twenty times and counting. The first time she'd asked caught him off guard but now he had his well rehearsed response.

"Nothing," he replied slowly getting up, his back towards her. They were in the Gryffindor common room and students slowly started crowding inside, getting ready for the party. He decided to go back to his room, take a nap and come back to "celebrate". _Great, _he thought sarcastically, just what he needed.

"Wait," she said annoyingly grabbing his arm. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you, what's gotten into you," she added.

"Ginny, nothing's wrong with me, so can you please stop tormenting me every time we're together?" he snapped.

"Tormenting you? So, that's how you see it Harry, sorry I asked because I cared," she said raising her voice. They started to get suspicious stares from their house mates. Harry glanced over his shoulder, noticing her angry expression before leaving. Ginny stormed into her dorm, slamming the door behind her. Harry ran a hand through his hair with an exhausted sigh while he dejectedly walked through the empty hallway.

"Floo power," he muttered. He walked in to find Pansy sitting alone on the couch adjacent to the fireplace. The flame illuminated her most alluring feature, Harry never though a pair of eyes could have such an effect on him. He quietly tried to make his way to his room trying to avoid conversation.

"What now, Potter?" she said quietly. Harry stopped midway and turned around.

"Nothing," he said noticing his frequent use of the word, it was a useful trinket in avoiding any confrontation.

"Shut up," she said annoyed at his aloofness. "Stop trying to escape and face the situation,"

"What situation? It was a mistake and I'm not blaming anyone, let's not waste time talking about something that didn't mean anything,"

"Didn't mean anything?" she said angrily and got up to face him. "Didn't seem that way while it was happening,"

"People make mistakes Parkinson, get over it. I can't betray Ginny, you know that and even if I could, how could you ever imagine that it'd work. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor, not a chance."

"This isn't about Ginny, as much as I respect your relationship; this is about you and me. Stop holding yourself back Harry, sometimes a mistake is a realization. Think about it do you really love Ginny? If so, why did you do it?" she said, frustrated. "Besides, the house rivalry didn't seem to stop Granger."

"First of all, leave Hermione out of this, she probably has a logical explanation for her actions. Secondly, Are you that thick Parkinson?" he growled. "This is about Ginny, and how dare you question my love for her, you're just jealous no one ever took you seriously so that's why you're trying to create a thrift in order to satisfy your sadistic pleasure. How could I be so stupid? Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin," Pansy's breath caught in her throat and her stomach tightened. She thought he was different, no, she hoped he'd be different. She thought he saw her for what she was but Potter was no exception. She walked up to him; tears streaming down her face and in one swift move slapped him across his cheek.

"I thought you were different Potter but no, you're just like everyone else and I hope you pay for what you did to Weasley." she commented and left. Harry didn't respond.

_Think about it do you really love Ginny? If so, why did you do it? _Her voice repeated in his head like a broken tape recorder, he ran his hands through his hair once again hoping to extinguish the accusation. He did love Ginny but why did he do it? He didn't have answer for that. He was embarrassed to admit the fact that he was attracted to Pansy. He quickly brushed the thought out of his mind, who wasn't attracted to Pansy? What happened yesterday was just an infatuation, it didn't mean anything.

_It didn't mean anything _he repeated, struggling to convince himself.

* * *

Hermione Granger took another swig of pumpkin juice, tasteless in her mouth while periodically checking her watch; she hated Malfoy for being so bloody ambiguous. She glanced in Harry's direction, his expression distant; she knew something was wrong. She quickly brushed it away; he does tend to get moody at times. 

Hermione examined the well arranged assortment of sweets; there was a huge cake in the middle which would be cut once the New Year rolled around.

_They probably bought some of the food from the Great Hall,_ she thought as she swiftly checked her watch again debating on whether to open her presents, rarely ever opening them on the spot. As a child, she didn't want to get rid of the surprise and adrenaline rush of guessing what was inside the box so, she always took her time. She decided to open them tomorrow because she was too busy planning her conversation with Malfoy and stayed up last night re-rehearsing it in her head.

_How pathetic._

"Waiting for someone?" Ron asked and took a seat beside her, Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"You keep checking your watch," he pointed out.

"No, actually Ron I'll be right back I want to see what they've done to the Great Hall," she said nonchalantly, knowing exactly what the Hall looked like. Nevertheless, she hoped Ron believed her.

"Sure, I'll come with you," he suggested and her heart sank.

"No, Ron its ok, I'll be back and besides, I don't want to keep you from this," she said hurriedly and got up before he could rebuke.

She left the common room and turned left, the halls still bore the decorations, and she was alone. She climbed the staircase leading her to the third floor and walked towards the end of the empty hallway. She heard the torches crackle as she continued. Her heartbeat fastened as she stood in front of the Tower. With a deep sigh, she opened the door and walked in. The room was fairly dark and a huge glass covered the ceiling, looking up feeling as if she could touch the sky which was fairly clear. Another stairway, located in the corner of the room, led to a highest point on the tower. Many students used the room to finish their astronomy homework, and that was where she predicted Malfoy would be.

"You're late," she turned around to see Malfoy leaning against the fall, arms folded. His skin was illuminated by the moon light making his skin seem even paler.

"Yeah, well, night wasn't exactly specific," she quickly snapped. She cursed at herself for going off track.

_Just say what you have to and leave _she reminded herself.

"Definitely not now, that's for sure,"

"Why did you call me here?" she asked changing the topic hastily before she retorted to old habits.

"Good question," he asked acting as if he'd never thought of that himself which only made Hermione's blood boil.

"This isn't funny,"

"I'm not laughing Granger," he assured but she noticed his mouth tense as if suppressing a chuckle. "Maybe I wanted to see you," he added.

"Save the crap, Malfoy, please." Every word was drowning in sarcasm.

"Yeah, I knew you weren't that thick" he muttered.

"So, why?" she said impatiently.

"What do you say to Pothead and Weasel king, they must've been shadowing you?" he asked, yet again avoiding her question.

"Why do you care?" she scowled, folding her arms.

"You can't answer a question with a question Granger,"

"And you apparently can't answer a question at all," she pointed out. "Did you talk to Dumbledore?" she added unable to resist deterring away from her motive.

"No," he said seriously and shifted uncomfortably. She didn't press forward realizing it would be delusive. They didn't talk for a while and Hermione was disturbed by his gaze, she looked up to meet his cold gray eyes, examining her, sending shivers down her spine.

"Talked to Pansy?" she asked unable to bear the silence.

"No," he answered again.

"Ok, well Merry Christmas and a happy new year," she said hastily, turned around and started to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked, surprised by her sudden decision.

"Leaving," she answered.

"I can see that Granger, hold on." he said annoyingly. Hermione turned around.

"What?" she asked.

"Hermione, please" he mumbled shocked at himself. What? She thought to herself, just when she thought she was done. She slowly walked back from the door, pondering on whether what he said was true or just her mind playing tricks on her.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he said, his backed turned to her.

"Then, what _do_ you want?" she asked, using one of the lines she'd rehearsed countless times yesterday.

"Nothing, but I don't want to fight anymore."

"Ok?" she said, confused. He turned around and extended his hand.

"Friends?"

"W-what?"

"C'mon Granger, you know you want to"

"This is going too fast,"

"No, you're just really slow, I understand." He sniggered and she was a taken back at his amusement, she'd never seen him like this. Was this the Malfoy who had tormented her for the past six years? She turned around, angry by his remark.

"Malfoy, I just can't be your friend," she started. _Because you're a selfish bastard, _she answered silently. So, why was she here? He hasn't done anything to throw her off the edge…yet.

"Why not?" It was his turn to play the question game. She suppressed a comeback by biting her tongue awed by his mood swings and stupidity of the question. This was a side of Malfoy she's come to know for the past few weeks, the unpredictable side. Maybe that's why she was here, intrigued by his behavior and she couldn't resist a mystery. Her curiosity always controlled her responses and actions. She was torn between the willingness to leave him and the urge to know more about him.

"Because I don't trust you," she spilled, a result of her inability to sort out the conflicting thoughts floating around in her head.

"Fair enough," he nodded, one hand rested on his chin, agreeing with her accusation. "So, how can I make you trust me?"

"What is this? The Inquisition?" she answered, frustrated.

"In a way," he added innocently with the same look of amusement.

"I can't just forget how you ridiculed me and my friends for the last six years," she snapped.

"And I can't change what I did. I'm not talking about Potter or Weasley, they deserved it,"

"I can't be your friend if you can't accept them. Besides, it'll take time to forget all you did, after all six years is a long time." She said silently yet firmly, eyes drifting around the room to avoid his gaze.

"Yeah, it'll take time. Time we don't have," he urged ignoring the part about Potter and Weasley. "Would you stop thinking about your friends for a second and take a chance. What's the worse thing that can happen?"

"Let's see, my best friends hating my guts and potentially ruining my last year at Hogwarts."

"Yeah but if you don't then you'll regret this for the rest of your boring life. Once your out of school, the 'what if' will always linger and you'll never be happy." He explained. Hermione couldn't help smiling at him while he was informing her consequences of denying his request. "…besides, being my _friend _comes with many advantages," he added with a wink and she felt blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Thanks for reminding me, no more of that Malfoy," she said seriously.

"Of what?" he asked with forced innocence taking a step forward. Hermione panicked suddenly acknowledging the fact that she was alone with him again.

"T-that," she stammered taking two steps back until she felt the cool stone surface on her back.

"What?" he repeated taking another step which placed him a step away from her. She started feeling lightheaded.

"You know—unwanted favors," she managed to croak out.

"I don't mind," he said crossing his arms again. At least he didn't take another step, she thought.

"Well, I do, so you can find someone else who doesn't." she answered firmly, proud of her bravery.

"Ok, fine," he held up his hands in defeat. "No more of _that. _You surprise me everyday Granger, most girls wouldn't pass _that _up,"

"Yeah, well, I'm not most girls. And that explains a lot about the girls you hang out with. Bulstrode, Parkinson—"

"You don't know Parkinson, so shut up." He snapped looking up to see her glaring at him. She puts up a good fight every time but, he sensed a tinge of fear in her expression as well. "And Millicent? _Honestly_ Granger, I don't stoop down that low."

"I don't need to know Parkinson to know what kind of a girl she is," she mumbled. Draco suddenly placed two hands on the wall behind her, his face inches away from hers. His eyes filled with rage.

"Just because I'm being nice to you doesn't mean you can say whatever you want," he growled.

"Nice?" she snorted. He turned around, running a hand through his hair, trying to ease his temper. He heard the door close behind him. She left. He sighed, she was annoying, argumentative and certainly not worth his time. He looked up at the night sky lit with countless stars.

Why was he doing this? If he could answer that, he wouldn't be here. For some reason, though they argued ninety-nine percent of the time, he wanted to talk to her again. There was something about her that left him feeling different. He'd received around ten more howlers from his father talking about his failure to own up to the family honor, his betrayal, etc. After hearing it so many times, it didn't seem that important. But even so, he was willing to listen to a hundred more howlers if he could talk to Granger again. He sighed again, this was going to be a problem.

* * *

**Finally, right? I got back today! Don't worry, I wrote a LOT but its all on paper so I'm going to be spending today typing it all up!! Thanks for waiting you guys!!**

**Read and Review please. **

**And I hope the Astronomy Tower rendezvous was well worth the wait. I hope. gulp**

**_Coming up: Another rendezvous(hehe), class begin, Voldemort._ **

**I put Voldemort because I think I'm going to start the chapter explaining his side; in other words, the actual plot about the muggles. **

**How's the last book you guys? I havent started it myself so don't tell me any spoilers!! But I heard it's amazing!!**

**Bye, until next time!**


	11. Uncontrolled Emotions

**_Chapter Eleven: Uncontrolled Emotions_**

* * *

"_Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It's a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you're hurt.__"_

* * *

Hermione Granger sat up and glanced at the clock on the table next to her bed; it was three in the morning and she couldn't sleep…again. This has become a habit for the past week, restlessness and inability to fall into a blissful slumber. Malfoy was to blame; it was like he was purposely torturing her. Or she just needed to blame someone and he seems to be the only one who's been getting on her nerves lately. She groaned and threw the covers to the side and stood up. She spent a whole minute stretching, classes would resume today as usual.

She walked into the bathroom and almost had a heart attack at the sight of her reflection. Dark circles engulfed her honey colored eyes and her hair resembled a hay stack. She silently walked back into the room and grabbed her wand pointing it to the dark circles.

"Dispario," she muttered. She'd read that last week in the Witch Weekly, the Simple-Fix Charms section. The dark circles melted into her skin and in a few moments they were gone. She quietly brushed her teeth and took a hot, soothing shower.

After neatly stacking her textbooks on her desk and packing her school bag, she glanced at the clock again; four-thirty. Still four hours left. She checked to make sure Parvati, Lavender and Padma were asleep before grabbing her wand and entering the empty common room. The fireplace contained the remains of last night's fire.

"Lumos," she whispered, as she entered the dark, secluded hallway. She took small steps, careful not to shine the light on the sleeping portraits, trying to remember what Harry had said about a secret passageway leading to Hogsmeade. She was in desperate need of coffee. Now, Hermione wouldn't normally do something risky like this, but she was sick of not being able to sleep and spending the whole night reading in her room. She needed a change.

_Crack._

She spun around, no one. She heard something, was it a footstep_? Oh, I shouldn't have come,_ she thought immediately. Her heartbeat racing, there was another rustle. She turned to her right, empty. Her breath became short and fast as she turned back towards the Gryffindor Tower.

She suddenly felt two hands cover her mouth and seize her hand; she dropped her wand and struggled to pry the strong arm away from her mouth so she could shout for help. If found by a teacher, would she get _expelled?_ She decided her life was more important.

"Shh, Granger, it's me," he whispered letting go. She spun around glaring at none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?" she whispered.

"Now, why would I do that?" he asked sarcastically, arms folded. Before Hermione could say anything, there was the sound of distant, slow approaching footsteps. Draco noticed it as well.

"We should leave," he pointed out. "Let's go,"

"No, I'm going back to my room," she said stubbornly.

"Stop giving lame excuses, you know you want to come." He said. "Come on, I want to show you something," He urged.

"No," The footsteps were just around the corner now. Hermione grabbed her wand, whispered "Nox,", and placed it into the back pocket of her jeans. Draco pushed her towards the dark corner next to the pillar until her back touched the cool surface, sending shivers down her spine.

"What are you-"she started.

"Shut up," he answered hastily placing a finger on her lips. The footsteps came closer. Hermione glanced over his shoulder at the strangers. The first one was a girl, her back was toward Hermione. The second one was a man; his identity was blocked by the girl's head. Just as Hermione started to stand on her tip toes, she heard a low, ominous hiss and almost lost her balance. Malfoy had placed both hands on the wall, caging her so their faces were well hidden. Another hiss followed, but this one was slightly high pitched. Shivers engulfed her body, Malfoy sensing this, pressed his body closer against hers. She felt his warmth replace the shivers. She noticed his muscles tense, jaw tighten on numerous occasions while the two persons were conversing.

Draco listened intently, his mind processing every single word. He knew who they were, Pansy and Snape. They were parseltongue, he was as well. It was a hidden secret, until now. Before Hermione could try to decipher their identities again, they started walking away. Draco stood motionless until the footsteps were barely audible. She was about to wriggle free but froze in place; she saw something she'd never expected from the Slytherin Prince; Tears, flowing freely down his flawless face. As if by instinct, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him. He shook with sobs and held her tightly. Hermione's eyes were wide, surprised. She was too shocked to move let alone ask any questions.

"She's dead," he choked out into her hair. Hermione's mind was racing. _Who was dead?_ _What is going on?_ But she didn't say anything because she was scared. She'd never seen Malfoy so…vulnerable.

"Who?" she whispered after a long pause. He didn't answer and she didn't press further. She stood, holding him, as if it was her responsibility. He withdrew from her grasp, his eyes red, his expression vacant. His eyes flooded with an inexplicable sadness so strong that Hermione started feeling it too.

"Who?" she asked again. He leaned against the wall next to her, ran a hand through his hair, and sunk down. With elbows on knees, head hung low, fresh tears began falling.

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to pretend like you care," he said. Hermione sat down next to him.

"I know," she replied silently. From that moment, neither said a word and Hermione had to literally cover her mouth with her hand from spurting out questions. Draco sat motionless, fists clenched, occasionally letting his head drop, when the tears clouded his vision, letting them flow while new ones formed instantaneously. Hermione would place her hand on his shoulder supportively, her expression worried.

Draco wasn't sure why she stayed and at this point he didn't care. All he could think about was his mother. Memories of her swamped his head; he couldn't believe she was gone. Murdered, in fact. And it was his entire fault, because of his stubbornness and selfishness to go against his father's orders.

"My mother," he whispered, facing the window straight ahead. "She's dead. Murdered."

"Oh, I'm—" He immediately held up his hand and turned to face her.

"I don't want your sympathy; I don't want anything from you." He stood up and started walking away. He knew it was wrong to blame her, she didn't do anything, but if it wasn't for her he wouldn't have gone against his father's orders and maybe his mother would've been alive to see him graduate. He knew he would have to live with this for the rest of his life, the guilt, the remorse; a mother is irreplaceable in a person's life. _But she stayed,_ a small voice inside his head reminded. Granger held him when he needed someone to hold. She sat next to him, gave him moral support when he needed it the most. Was it sympathy, or something else? The hallways were empty, lit by the morning sun, as Draco walked back to the Slytherin Tower.

The word empty didn't even come close to how he felt the entire day, walking to class like a zombie, nodding at his friend's comments, noticing Granger's worried expression as he walked to class. It was mid-day and he had Potions with Gryffindor. He'd expected Snape to take him out of class and tell him, but he didn't and Draco was glad, he didn't want to hear it from him. Snape had always been frank; truth was never hidden or sugar-coated when he spoke. He'd tell Draco his mother was murdered and maybe add an "I'm sorry" at the end. That would be the whole conversation and he wasn't ready for that. Who killed her? He wondered though he was fairly sure it was his father. He was the only one cruel enough, heartless enough to kill his own wife. Wife? Yeah, right. His father never treated his mother with the respect a wife deserves; she was just a wife for namesake. She gave him an heir, the only thing he wanted from her.

Potions drawled on, Snape hadn't come around today tormenting the Gryffindors, especially Harry Potter. He'd assigned them book work and left to his office, Draco suspected the news had hit him pretty hard as well. He wasn't blind, he knew Snape loved his mother back when he was in school, but his mother's marriage was arranged with Lucius Malfoy after her graduation. At Hogwarts, Snape had always looked after Draco occasionally asking him how things were back home, which really meant he wanted to know about his mother. Maybe Snape felt it was his responsibility to look after him. Draco absent-mindedly copied the answer to the first question, he was glad they weren't brewing potions today, he couldn't handle talking to anyone.

Students whispered amidst taking notes, giggling and conversing, to Draco it was all disgusting. But he realized that time hadn't stopped and things carried on as usual. Earlier that morning, he contemplated on staying in his dorm but knew the silence would kill him; he needed to keep himself busy. From the corner of his eye, he saw Granger eye him with caution, she was so bloody annoying. Before, she didn't want anything to do with him but now she's acting like she cares.

* * *

Pansy sat under the huge oak tree while half-heartedly finishing the Potions work she'd missed. She didn't go to class today because she wasn't ready to face Draco, how could she tell him that his mother is dead.Worse, she was murdered. Snape just had to place the burden on her. Mrs. Malfoy was one of the strongest and bravest women Pansy had ever met, she'd always managed to have hope in times of turmoil and was Draco's support system throughout his life against Mr. Malfoy. She was there by his side whenever he needed her but now, when she needed him the most, he wasn't there. 

The weather was rather chilly and the huge tree was barren, spring was three months away. She tightened the scarf around her neck as she read the next question though the words floated around senselessly in her head.

Her mind was on Draco, she'd tell him this evening. She couldn't believe Mr. Malfoy would kill his own wife, it was all very disturbing. Pansy remembered the letter she'd received from Mr. Malfoy, talking about her engagement with Draco and her mission to befriend Potter. _Screw that_, she thought. She wasn't going to go over to the dark side, besides Potter thinks she's scum anyway. She didn't know why it meant so much to her that Potter, just like everyone else, had misconceptions about her. She sighed, closing her book, and placing her quill back into her school bag knowing the forced effort was futile. She'd avoided Draco the whole day, trying to think up of the perfect way to reveal the disastrous news but soon realized no matter what she said, he'd be heart broken. Well, it's inevitable, now or never, she thought as she started to get up, grabbing her school bag and dusting off the dry leaves from her robes.

A crunching noise made her look up to meet those unique, inimitable green eyes. Harry wasn't expecting her to be here, the blatant expression on his face told her that. He came here to think about how he'd tell Ginny the truth. The past few days were brutal and he couldn't look into Ginny's eyes without feeling guilty, it was then he decided he'd tell her the truth. Neither said a word since the confrontation though they lived under the same roof. Harry would leave before she was awake and come back late, so he could avoid her. Pansy hadn't exactly been trying to talk to him; she spent most of her time outside the castle or in the library.

Harry knew what he said what wrong, Pansy wasn't cruel, and she wasn't a complete Slytherin like Malfoy. It frustrated him, the fact that he cared so much about her though they were barely friends. The whole situation frightened him, he didn't want to lose Ginny but he wanted to know Pansy more.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what I said," Harry said silently, going against everything he promised he wouldn't do.

"Nothing I haven't heard before," It'd been so long since he'd heard her angelic voice, too long, he thought, eyes closed.

"Look, Pansy, I don't know…" he drowned on Pansy wasn't listening; her eyes welled up with tears. Tears that were struggling to be free since that morning flowed down her pale face. "…but if you still want to talk, I'll listen," he finished and looked up to see her teary face. Pansy didn't know why he made her feel naked, stripped of the façade she put on for everyone else. There was only one other person who could see right through her like this, Draco, but she'd known him all her life. Potter, she barely knew. It was like she could tell him anything and the fact that he apologized proved he wasn't like everyone else, he saw her for what she was. He cautiously took a few steps closer, doubting his actions as he placed a hand on her shoulders. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing; he reluctantly placed a hand behind her head and pulled her towards his shoulder. He wanted to move away, he wanted to leave but was frozen in place as she continued sobbing on his shoulder.

"Potter, I'm sorry," she withdrew immediately realizing what she'd done. "I never wanted to complicate things between you and Weasley, it's just you weren't like everyone else. You accepted me, and my reputation didn't affect your behavior…" she drawled on trying to decide whether to tell him about Mrs. Malfoy. Sympathy was the last thing she wanted so decided against it.

"Parkinson, I know, I was confused and needed someone to blame," he muttered. He placed a finger on her cheek, stroking it as he looked into those mesmerizing gray eyes. "And, I'm sorry for hurting you. I guess I was just scared." The gravity of the situation dawned on both of them because Pansy turned around and Harry took a few steps back.

"So, what now?" she asked. Harry didn't answer for a while and Pansy wondered whether he left.

"I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't attracted to you," he managed to say.

"And I'd be lying to myself if I said it would work out," she said sadly. A long pause followed until she heard the crunching of dry leaves under his feet as he moved closer. He placed an arm on her shoulder, slowly turning her around to face him. She shifted uncomfortably under his powerful gaze

"I don't know about you but, I'm ready to live out a lie if I can be with you," he finished. The past few days were spent fighting these confusing, agonizing feelings towards her and he had lost the battle, he couldn't hold back his feelings for her anymore.

"What about Weasley?" she asked, surprised by his abrupt confession.

"This is about you and me, remember?" he quoted as he cupped her cheeks into his hands, and leaned in to kiss her eye lid. She grasped his hands as new tears feel effortlessly.

"Potter, I don't want people to think that I'm-" she whispered. _A slut_, she finished in her head.

"Shh," he cooed. "Look, it's not your fault Pansy. You're not coming in the middle of us. If anything, it's me who's betraying her," his voicing suddenly becoming hard, his hands dropping to his sides. "But, this is my choice; I'll have to face the consequences for my actions. I can't fight my feelings for you. Who knows, we might end up hating each other" he added after a pause, knowing he was lying to himself.

"Who knows," she repeated. 'Maybe, I'll fall for you,' she thought silently. She looked up, Harry looked confused and hurt. He knew he could be ruining his life but when he met her gray eyes, all the trouble in the world seemed to melt away, he was under her spell. He leaned in and covered her lips with his own. This was nothing like Pansy had ever experienced, Harry was gentle yet passionate, hard yet soft at the same time. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he ran his hands down her spine making her hiss in content. Suddenly, Ginny's face blazed into Harry's mind. He pulled Pansy closer, deepening the kiss, hoping to forget Ginny. Pansy felt him stiffen under her embrace, kissing her harder, almost making her wince in pain. She placed both hands on her chest heaving him off her, her lips apple red.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's just Ginny--"

"Harry, y-you need to sort out your priorities," she said grabbing her bag carefully making her way down the slippery slope towards the Castle.

"I did mean what I said Pansy, it scares me how fast I fell for you," he whispered. He closed his eyes as Ginny's face appeared once more. He sighed. 'What have I gotten into?"

* * *

Pansy stormed into her room and slammed the door shut, who does Potter think he is? More importantly, who does Potter think I am? Someone he can snog whenever he felt like it. She felt horrible, used and lost, throwing her bag across the floor; she left the room to go find Draco. 

The Castle was fairly quiet; students spent their time in the library complaining about the heavy work load on their first day back from the holidays. She walked down the stairway and turned left, towards the Slytherin Tower.

"Werewolf Skin," she muttered as the painting opened to reveal the pathway towards the common room. She walked in to find a few first years in a corner and a few students from her year studying diligently near the fireplace. But, Draco was no where to be found. She quietly walked to the boy's dormitories and knocked. Silence. After what seemed like forever the door opened to reveal a very tired Draco Malfoy.

"Bloody hell, what happened to you?" she asked stepping into the room, closing the door behind her.

"I know Pansy," he said silently. "So, save the speech,"

"H-How?" she stammered. He knows?!

"Honestly, does it matter? The fact is she's dead, murdered by my father," he said, fists clenching.

"It was Mr. Malfoy but there's a rumor floating around that he was under the imperius curse. Voldemort is rallying muggles Draco, he's building an army. Your mother was trying to persuade Voldemort against it because the magical world would be revealed with so many muggles suddenly missing. But, that's what he wants Draco, he doesn't only want Potter, he wants power." She finished.

"What?" he asked bewildered. "Exactly how many muggles has he brain washed?"

"Over 300," she answered.

"Merlin, why didn't you tell me this?" he snapped. "What does he plan to do with three-hundred muggles?"

"I just found out yesterday, I reacted the same way," she replied. She walked up to him cautiously, placing a hand on his shoulder supportively.

"Are you alright?" she spoke softly searching his dull, gray for the answer.

"Define alright," he said with a weak smile. "I'll never be alright Pansy, she was my mother. But, I have to move on; she wouldn't have wanted me to suffer like this,"

"That's true," she agreed. "Do you want me to stay longer?" she asked after a pause.

"No, I'm better now, I'll see you later," She gave him a hug before leaving. He walked back to his bed and lifted the mattress and grabbed the album he'd been looking at before Pansy arrived. He opened to the page with his mother holding a small bundle in her arms while smiling at camera, occasionally looking at the bundle. He touched the picture, a tear fell, blurring the image at the corner. He couldn't believe she was gone. He'd never felt emptier, lost or confused in his entire life.

* * *

_YAY, finally. I was trying to upload yesterday but was down for maintenance. Longest chapter yet. what can i say, i had to fit a lot of stuff in here. _

_READ AND REVIEW, please._

_Take care!_


	12. The Confession

**Chapter Twelve: The Confession**

* * *

_"Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time."_

--Unknown

* * *

Hermione Granger, sitting on the large armchair next to the window pane, craned her neck to the side, stretching her tense muscles; she'd been reading _Hogwarts: A History_, again. She swiftly turned the page, drinking in each word like sweet wine; she never tired of reading the same thing over again. The book held so much information and what is a girl to do when she'd already finished all her homework on a Friday night. Ron and Harry (mostly Ron) were busy talking about new Quidditch strategies as usual, she kept reminding them spring was far away but they ignored her. _Men_, she thought, irritated.

"Honestly Ron, if you showed the same enthusiasm in doing your Potions essay, Snape wouldn't hate you as much," she murmured looking up from the huge text perched on her lap.

"Hermione, writing a foot long essay on vampires is a lot less intriguing than talking about the Chudley Canons. And Snape's going to hate me for as long as I live so, what's the point?" he commented. Harry nodded, one arm slung over Ginny's shoulders. Hermione grinned; it was just like old times, as if the past few weeks hadn't happened at all. She hadn't seen Malfoy for the past week, things were going great, but one look at Harry's tense expression told her, things weren't exactly all right. He laughed less, talked less and overall seemed to lose interest in everything. Even in Quidditch and that's saying something. Harry and Quidditch were inseparable like Ron and pumpkin juice. Ginny was fairly quiet as well, **very** un-Ginny like. Hermione thought intently, her eyes narrowing, as her eyes fell on Ron; He was the only one who was rambling on about his favorite Quidditch team.

"…I mean they're bound to beat England, take no offense Harry ("None taken," he replied immediately). By the way, I talked to Madam Hooch this morning about the match schedules, did you know our first match is with Slytherin?-"

"What?" Hermione interrupted, the mere word made her feel queasy.

A very annoyed Ron replied, "Why do you care? Ms. I-too-good-for-Quidditch," Hermione rolled her eyes, if only he was a tad bit more mature, but soon realized she was expecting too much from the red head. Before Hermione could recoil and turn the conversation (though one-sided) into an argument, Harry stood up abruptly surprising everyone.

"I-I have to go," he said silently.

"Where?" Ginny asked, holding his hand. "I'll come—"

"No, it's Head Boy business," he intruded. The Slytherin was surely rubbing off on him; he was lying to his girlfriend. "Y-You know how it is, lots to do," he said in a lighter tone.

"Right," she replied half-heartedly, with a hint of sarcasm, letting go of his arm. Harry leaned and gave her a peck before leaving the Gryffindor common room.

"Ginny, is everything alright?" Hermione asked as soon as Harry was out the door, she closed her book.

"Yeah, he's just in one of those moods, you know him," she assured, everything is peachy-keen_. Harry barely talks to me and we rarely ever meet outside of school anymore. Everything is just wonderful, _she finished inside her head. Before Hermione could interrogate further, her eyes caught a figure standing alone on the Quidditch field. She put her book down, walked up to the window squinting at the lonely figure walking across the Quidditch field. _Ugh, Draco Malfoy? _She wasn't sure, swiftly checking her watch before peering once more at the still figure. 8:30 p.m. He's not supposed to be there.

"What?" Ron asked seriously standing beside her.

"N-Nothing," Hermione stammered, flustered. Ron raised an eyebrow questioningly while taking a bite of his cauldron cake. She smiled nervously trying to get his attention away from the window.

"I-I'll be back, just have to talk to McGonagall about my schedule," The words coming out as a jumble as she sped out of the Common Room.

"We're the only normal ones, I'm telling you," Ron said to Ginny while gobbling down the remains of the cake. When Ginny ignored him, Ron rolled his eyes. "Scratch that, I'm the only normal one,"

* * *

Hermione felt goose bumps all over her body as she stepped out into the chilly winter weather cursing for not grabbing her robe. She was dressed in casual jeans and cotton t-shirt. _Merlin, its freezing_ she thought while rubbing her shoulders with her hands trying to increase her body temperature. Her teeth started shattering as she continued to the center of the field where she had spotted Malfoy earlier. _Why was she here in the first place?_ She wondered. 

"Fancy seeing you here Granger," She turned to see him standing, broom in one hand and a blanket in the other.

"I should ask you the same," she said tightening her jaw in order to control the chattering.

"Were you spying on me?" he asked, a smirk playing on his luscious lips.

"No," she answered quickly. "Are you ok?" she added after a pause.

"I don't want to talk about it," his seriously tone told Hermione not to question further. His mother died, of course he's not _ok_, she thought to herself wanting to slap her forehead for her stupidity.

"I'm going to leave," she said after another pain-staking pause pointing stupidly to the castle. Draco let out a deep chuckle making Hermione feel even more pathetic.

"Granger, stop talking," he advised. She glared at him, her brown eyes blazing into his gray ones, folding her arms in discontent.

"Fine, I should've just left—" Draco took three quick strides and placed a long, slender finger on her lips, bringing back memories of earlier that morning. Well, one thing was certain; she had feelings for the Slytherin prince. Whether she was attracted to him or enthralled by his peculiar actions (for instance, standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch at night) she didn't know. Maybe, it was her attraction towards him that intrigued her senses. _Wow, that was confusing,_ She had a bad habit of sprawling, even if it was inside her head, when she was nervous.

"I said stop talking," _Yup, definitely attraction_. She stared into his light, almost translucent in the moonlight, gray eyes.

"I want to show you something, but you're clearly not dressed for the occasion," Hermione's eyes widened in fear.

"What are you--" the fluidity of thought was suddenly replaced by anger, _Argh what a prick!_

"God, Shut up woman," he hissed in frustration, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm not a pervert Granger," he snapped, regrouping after the sudden burst of fury.

"Well, that's clearly opinionated," she muttered. After giving her one of his famous death glares she had grown accustomed to, he mounted his broom, offered his hand and rolled his eyes as her eyes widened in absolute terror.

"I hate flying," she said quickly, wishing she hadn't come in the first place but knew if she didn't it would have bothered her the whole night and she couldn't cope with another sleepless night.

"Ok, that was a lie, no one can truly hate flying without a legitimate reason, out with the truth this time," he countered.

"I-I'm afraid of heights," she flushed.

"Well, what day is today," he asked randomly hoping she'd catch the hint. Hermione struggled to answer (Apparently, she thought he was being serious) and he let out an exasperated sigh, the things he had to put up with.

"Let me help you, today is the day you will face your fear of flying," he finished extending his hand once more, the other secured around the brand new Fireblot plus, the newest model to hit the market. He'd gotten it over the summer before school started. Hermione hesitantly accepted his hand, apprehend the fact that she didn't have a choice, and he pulled her towards him.

"One more thing," He swiftly removed his robe and wrapped it around her shoulders. Hermione noticed his attire; a long sleeved shirt that did wonders to his muscular arms and dark colored jeans. "You'll freeze, honestly, I thought you were supposed to be the smartest witch of our age and you come out here in a t-shirt." Hermione pressed her lips together, holding back a smile. He was trying to justify his polite action, so Slytherin-like.

She felt his arms encircle hers as she mounted the broom. Blushing profusely, she was glad they were doing this at night or Malfoy would hold it against her for the rest of her life. She felt his breath on the nape of her neck sending electric sparks down her spine. His hands circled her waist as he gripped the broom tightly.

"Ready?" he asked as he started to bend his knees.

"No," _Why am I not surprised?_ He thought to himself while rolling his eyes as he kicked off the ground. Hermione's body stiffened the moment they were in the air; she closed her eyes tightly shut, while silently scolding herself for agreeing to something like this.

"Calm down, Granger," Draco advised as they gained altitude. Hermione opened one eye and got one glimpse at how small the Quidditch pitch looked; she immediately closed it again, feeling nauseous.

"No, I can't calm down. I told you I was afraid, why are you making me do this?" Her voice was desperate and stripped of the confidence or bravery it usually emitted. She sounded scared, like a little child afraid of the dark. Draco slowed down, tightening his grip on the broom as it vibrated to a stop and they were left floating steadily in mid-air.

"You," she accused, "I should've never let you talk me into this, what was I thinking---" She stopped in mid-sentence at Malfoy's amused expression, she looked around, her eyes bugging out of her sockets. Beautiful couldn't even come close to the splendid view that surrounded them. Millions of stars covered them like a blanket; she extended her hand trying to touch them. She suddenly let out a squeal as Malfoy's strong arms grasped her mid-section once more, the other was used to steady the broom.

"We're on a broom Granger," he growled but Hermione couldn't get annoyed, not with the breath-taking sight adjoining her. She looked down to see clouds, like a thick sheet of snow, _Wow_, she thought. Malfoy sat observing her, arms crossed, almost smiling at her child-like awe. Her skin was illuminated by the moonlight; a slight breeze blew her hair into his face. She smelled like freshly picked wild flowers, sweet yet strong. An uneasy feeling found its way to the pit of Malfoy's stomach, why was he so nervous around her?

"This is—" she started, lost for words. "Beautiful," _Yes, it is_, he agreed silently, still gazing at her.

"I used to come here all the time, to clear my head and enjoy the view," he said taking in the sight as well, though he was used to it, he never got over the serene, heaven-like view before him.

"Oh," she paused. "S-So about this morning, I stayed because I cared," Finally, with the truth out in open, Hermione felt relieved. She didn't know why she told him but the tranquil atmosphere had something to do with her confession.

"Hmm," he said silently. "_Hermione_, I-I care about you too," he managed to say. "And this is going to sound totally crazy, but you're not like other girls and that's what stopped me from going after you. I wanted to get to know you, talk to you but my ego had always gotten in the way," Hermione carefully turned around, facing him.

"And what about now?" she whispered.

"After this morning, I have nothing to be proud about anymore." He looked away, his eyes glistening with tears. _Be a man, pull yourself together_, he though to himself.

"D-Draco, I'm sorry and I'm not just saying this because I have to." She placed a hand on his cheek; Draco wrapped his hands around her waist, amidst her hundredth rambling session of the day she didn't notice, and pulled her closer. "…and besides, you just found out your mother passed away and I couldn't just leave so—"He placed his hand on her lips and she looked into his eyes.

"You talk too much," he commented leaning in and closed the small gap separating them. Hermione never in her life had imagined Draco Malfoy out of all people could be so gentle, this kiss was nothing compared to the escapades they shared in the hallways. Hermione wrapped her arms around his necks leaning into him as Draco snaked his around her waist. She moaned as he sucked on her collar bone, her hands running down his back.

"AH!!!!" Hermione shrieked as the Broom toppled over, Draco grabbed the broom with one hand, hanging in mid-air, and strongly gripped Hermione's waist with the other. With one fell swoop, they were on top again, Hermione landing on his lap. She couldn't help but burst out laughing while Draco scowled.

"And I thought you were supposed to be _good_ at flying," she said as she held her stomach unable to control the mirth. Draco couldn't help but break out into a smile himself, Hermione looked up a felt the air escape her lungs, only one thought passed through her mind; Draco should definitely smile more often. Both knew their relationship (unofficially, at least) wasn't going to work out, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, a snake and a lion, the Slytherin prince and the Gryffindor nerd. But, at that moment, in the middle of star-lit sky far away from the trouble waiting below, they were Draco and Hermione.

The rest of the night was spent laughing, talking and conversing on the broom until Hermione finally fell asleep in his arms, exhausted. His feet touched the ground as Hermione's eyes fluttered open, her expression confused.

"What happened?" she asked looking around.

"N-nothing you just fell asleep," he said, taking her hand and led her back to the castle.

"Oh, sorry," she blushed. They entered the castle through the back door and made their way to the staircases.

"Thanks for waking up by the way, I was trying to figure out how to get you back to the Gryffindor tower. I'm sure Potter will have field day if he saw you in my arms,"

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Strong possibility there," he smirked and she smiled. She leaned over and pecked his cheek and thanked him for a wonderful evening.

"Good-night," he replied as he watched her disappear towards the Gryffindor Tower. He turned around and started making his way to the Slytherin tower. Ironically, today had been the happiest he'd felt in a long time, the day his mother passed away. The pain was still there but, he somehow felt she wanted this for him.

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**Wow, am I on a roll or what?? I love how this is turning out and I hope you do too!!**

**Review please, where have all my reviewers gone:P**


	13. The Truth Revealed

**The Truth Revealed**

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_Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is._

_--Winston Churchill_

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The Library was swarmed with students, running around looking for a specific textbook, once in a while whispering questions or gossip, sometimes both, to their neighbor before disappearing behind the book once more, and Madam Pince having a heart-attack trying to bring the hustle and bustle down to a whisper, which of course was impossible. 

"When one is quiet, one can absorb the complicated coursework—"her voice loudening with each word other but slowly drowned in the surrounding commotion. No one listened; students crowded her desk, mostly upperclassmen with notes allowing them access to the Restricted Section. One small, timid first year, Hermione remembered her name; Felcona Garvin held up her finger trying to signal Madam Pince's attention but disappeared in the mob. Hermione smiled, getting out of her chair to go help the frustrated first year. The girl shared her habit of 'light' reading once in a while so Hermione picked out a few of her favorites, helping the girl carry the _small _pile towards the back of the library where the arm chairs were located. Felcona thanked her humbly and trotted towards the corner, sitting in Hermione's favorite chair. She held her gaze for an extra second before returning to her desk.

"Feeling gracious, are we?" he commented while flipping through the Daily Prophet, his books spread out covering half of the table before him. Neither had talked about the strange incident that had had taken place a few weeks ago on the Quidditch pitch. Both reverted back to hold habits but with a civil edge, Hermione still called him Malfoy but not ferret-boy though tempting at times and Draco called her Granger, but not mudblood or filth or dirty blood, the list was endless for muggle-borns.

"The concept of being helpful must be foreign to you, I suspect," she said returning to her work. "The answer is werewolf skin," she added, not looking up. The steady scratching of her quill on parchment submerged in the turbulence surrounding them. Draco wrote the answer down before returning to the Daily Prophet. Hermione was glad they hadn't talked about it, getting involved with Draco would pilfer the tiny inkling of sanity left. Besides, Ron would be devastated and her friendship was more important than…well, they were more important and that's what mattered. Ron was practicing Quidditch outside with Harry and Ginny, the much awaited Quidditch season had finally arrived and Gryffindor had to play Slytherin next week. She contemplated whether to ask Malfoy why he was slogging in the library, not exactly doing anything productive, when he could be practicing outside but soon realized she didn't want to talk to him more than necessary.

"Malfoy, what did you get for the third question?" she muttered still not meeting his gaze as she diligently scribbled on the brown paper. He didn't answer and she was forced to look up from her work, annoyed. He was deeply absorbed in the manuscript.

"Malfoy?" she called. Felcona Garvin walked back to the desk signaling for Madam Pince's attention again. Hermione fought the urge to go help her check out the textbook before reverting back to Malfoy. He got up, eyes blazing in anger as he threw the newspaper on the cluttered desk, running a hand through his hair.

"I swear, if I ever meet that Rita Skeeter in person, I'll murder and go to Azkaban," he snarled. Hermione grabbed the paper; she hadn't gotten a chance to check out the morning headlines this morning, flipping to the front page. The headline was the same, monotonous note about Voldemort return and the Ministry's dedicated work to keep the wizarding world safe. In short, bull. She folded the paper, creasing at the center, and found the article that had ignited Malfoy's temper.

**Death of Narcissia Malfoy: Shocking or Expected?**

_By Rita Skeeter_

_**November 16**: Lucius Malfoy's wife, Narcissia Malfoy, was found lying motionless next to the dinner table approximately at six o' clock in the evening. Authorities claim death as a result of the dreadful, most feared unforgivable curse. I hadn't reached the scene until the following day due to a hold up regarding my upcoming book, Mingling with Mermaids, demanding to see the body at once but the Ministry had refused to show me the corpse. My suspicion ascended when Mr. Malfoy walked into the scene, confused for a good half-an hour before the news had reached his well, occupied brain. "I can't believe she's gone," he croaked while I patted his shoulder sympathetically. But, I can't help but wonder if Mrs. Malfoy's death had been a murder, was the ministry, in its infinite wisdom, hiding the truth? Mrs. Malfoy's conflicting past only added fuel to the fire as I spent the next few days talking to Mr. Malfoy, the Parkinson family, and close friend, Severus Snape._

_Her son, Draco Malfoy, strangely hadn't visited his father yet which strengthened my unspoken allegations._

_Was Narcissia Malfoy really murdered?---_

Hermione abruptly stopped reading to see Ron's shocking expression, while she hastily stuffed the newspaper and papers lying haphazardly across the desk in her jam-packed school bag. She took a deep breath before attending to his anticipated fury.

"What are you doing with this git?" he growled. Hermione couldn't help but fight a smile trickling the corner of her mouth, as deranged as it sounded, Ron was just incredibly cute when he was jealous.

"With Malfoy you mean?" she looked, faking a disgusted expression. Malfoy covered his mouth trying to not to insult her terrible acting skills.

"No, with Harry," he flared. ("Hey, I'm not a git!" Harry answered standing behind him) "Of course, Malfoy!" he bellowed ignoring Harry's pointless comment. Even Madam Pince, who was standing close by, looking for a chance to intervene, knew better than to cross the red-head.

"Calm down Weasley, Granger just wanted to borrow the Daily Prophet knowing better than to ask you, as if you could afford it," the famous smirk plastered across his face. Just like old times, Harry held Ron's robe while Hermione grabbed his elbow.

"Please, you are pathetic," Malfoy added with a sneer.

"Well, let's not even go there," Hermione warned before giving him another glare, walking off with Harry and Ron. Once out of the library Ron turned to Hermione, shrugging his elbow out of her grip, his face hard and cold.

"I never want to see you near him," he said through gritted teeth and Hermione wasn't angry, well aware of how much Ron cared for her, she slowly nodded giving him a small smile. They walked in silence towards the Gryffindor Tower before parting with Harry who left to the Head Boy dorm.

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with him?" Ron asked watching Harry walk away, he wasn't the same person anymore.

"No," Hermione answered truthfully, maybe he was just afraid of what to except, afraid of the future just like both of them. They continued walking towards the Gryffindor tower, Hermione lugging her school bag up the stairs until the fat lady's portrait came into view. Though she cared for Ron deeply even going past the cordial friendship they'd shared for the past six years, she couldn't explain the irreplaceable longing to go back to the library and sit next to Malfoy, argue with him, call him a git every other second, and roll her eyes at his snobbish attitude.

"…so I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow evening, you know after class, but it's totally alright if you don't want to," the redness of his ears slowly creeping to his cheeks.

"Sure," she said trying to convincing herself this is the right thing to do, this is what everyone excepts of you and more importantly Ron is a great person to be with, so, what was bothering her so much?

"Great," he said enthusiastically, surprised she'd agreed. "Alright then, I have to go back and study,"

"Go back? Please Ron, you barely opened your books today," she commented grinning at him, trying to forget that feeling of emptiness slowly creeping back into her consciousness. Ron put a hand over his heart faking a hurt expression, making her break out in laughter, before returning to his books. Hermione closed the door, her back against the strong, teakwood, hand on forehead, thinking about what just happened. She sighed lugging her school bag to the corner of the room carefully remove the Daily Prophet she'd been reading before. A few scrap pieces of parchment fell out, she shoved them back into her bag before she noticed something that wasn't hers. She recognized the brown paper; Malfoy had removed it from his Potions textbook utilizing it as a bookmark. With the Daily Prophet aside, she unfolded the paper, it was a letter. She skimmed through the content, drinking in each word, her eyes burning with tears towards the end. She ripped the paper to shreds grabbing her wand.

"Evanesco," she snarled, the small piece of paper disappearing from sight, regretting her action, and she should've used a more dynamic spell. She threw her wand to the corner, and sank to the ground, head in her hands. She felt used and stupid, how could she ever think Malfoy would change, this had all been a plan, nothing more.

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Oh, A Cliffy, I'm brutal, I know. :) **I'm planning to edit this tomorrow so please excuse any grammatical errors, if you're picky like me and absolutely cant avoid avoiding them, let me know where they are:D**

Ok, so I'm sensing a lot of holes in this fanfic especially with the plot; all I have to say is, stay patient! because I'm planning to write the sequel, I just want to sort of things among Ginny, harry and Pansy. Dramione, I dont know, it's really hard to write without the characters sounding OOC! I'll try my best though :)

Review, please :D, I promise the next chapter will be longer.


	14. Love?

_AN: Ok, this is just a warning abou the quality of this chapter, it's not the final draft. As many of you may know college started and I am ambushed with heavy coursework already(argh!) so I have NO time to do anything else!! I really like the way this story is turning out and have ideas of doing a sequel though nothing is finalized at this stage. _

_Part of the reason I post previews or rough drafts is because as readers, you should have access to a writer's tantrums..lol..weird I know but a lot of editing and re-editing and at times re-re-editing happens before a chapter is produced and I think you should have a look at the primitive stage of this elaborate process. Mind you, this is far from being perfect and full of infinite grammatical mistakes, and not even fully completed, but I want to leave something :) rather than coming back after a long time...So, enjoy it and don't be too critical, do remember it's not even CLOSE to being finished! _

_Dont want to ruin this but it's a chapter MANY of you have been waiting for :)_

_And Do Read and Review, it helps and is a source of inspiration for all authors, not just myself. Thanks and have a good long weekend :)_

_**

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_**Chapter Fourteen: Love?**_

_"True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked."_

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Hermione spent the next few weeks away from Malfoy, taking the long route to class, sitting as far as possible from him near the classes they had together and leaving the Gryffindor Tower only when necessary. Malfoy didn't go out of his way to meet her either, this was good for him, he needed a to figure things out starting with his feelings for the Muggle-born. He liked her, no; it was way past the liking phase. Every time he saw her rush out of class, he had to grab his desk to stop himself from following her. He wanted to talk to her about anything: Quidditch, Voldemort, his father, he felt like he could tell her anything and that scared him. Well, not scared, no, a Malfoy was never scared, agitated is a better word. He was agitated by her actions, why was she avoiding him? H knew it was better that way but a part of him was hurt by her aloofness though he'd die before admitting it. These intrusive thoughts bubbled in his head like a vicious potion gone wrong, all these false assumptions were futile, he needed to confront her and that was the only remedy. Another monotonous day ended as Draco made his way to the Head Girl dorm, it's been a while since he visited Pansy. 

"Cornish pixies," The painting creaked open and he made his way into the common room. The sight before him was startling, to say the least. Potter and Pansy were having a conversation and by the looks of it, a serious one. He made his presence noticeable as he cleared his throat and Pansy jumped out of the couch, literally. Draco folded his arms and the silence persisted.

"Do I have to ask for an explanation?" Pansy rolled her eyes, irritated, and Potter galloped to his room, mumbling something about Quidditch practice.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing, how are things?" his eyes darted towards the Head Boy's dorm before turning back to Pansy.

"No complaints," she stated. "Did you talk to Dumbledore?" she added after a sharp pause.

"No! I can't tell him about His plans" Draco hissed. "Sorry, I don't want to be killed before I turn eighteen,"

"Look, I don't exactly fancy Dumbledore myself but, he's the only one that can do something about this. Honestly, while Voldemort is rallying up muggles by putting the imperius curse on them, we can't sit around not doing anything,"

"True, but, do u know why He's doing that?" Draco asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He's planning an invasion of some sort but, as far as I know, it won't be any time soon, though he's been rallying muggles, he's also been loosing a lot of his followers. Besides, Dumbledore made sure the Order is on his trail. There are a lot of wizards undercover, but Dumbledore should still know." She explained taking a seat. She'd been writing to her parents frequently and gathered some information about the situation outside Hogwarts.

"Maybe he already knows," Draco suggested.

"Plausible but, unlikely. The Order is undercover so they don't have many opportunities to pass the information without being caught, they have to be sneaky. We'll never know unless we tell Dumbledore,"

"Let's go tomorrow," he decided. What worse than being disowned by your own father? Nothing, so, turning your back on him wouldn't make things worse.

"Ok," Draco took a seat beside her and sensed the tension in her posture and speech while they were talking about articles in the Daily Prophet, school work, the usual.

"Ok, what's going on," he stood upright facing her. She didn't look at him, her eyes focusing on the fireplace across them.

"Nothing," she answered. Draco got up, knowing the conversation was over, she wasn't going to budge. After a short farewell, he left the common room.

"You can come out now," Pansy said softly, scratching the smooth teakwood door. She heard him scramble for a moment before opening the door, his expression hard.

"Please, don't tell me your going on one of your guilt trips again," she said folding her arms. They've been meeting in secret for weeks now and if he truly felt as guilty as he claimed he would've stayed far away from her but he didn't, he cared for her.

"N-No, I'm going to tell Ginny tonight," he said, his expression pallid.

"Oh," She'd heard him say that at least three times now but couldn't put his words into action but she didn't stop him once knowing the confession was important for him. At first, she felt guilty, disgusting for doing something so low, stealing someone else's boyfriend but now, it was different…Harry meant more to her than any other man in her life and that was starting to scare her.

"Ok," she said patting his shoulder. "You should, and I just want to let you know that you can do whatever you want, don't let me hold you back from getting Ginny back, do whatever you want," that was hard to say but she had to deliver the "I'm not going to influence your decision" speech.

"Pansy, Ginny is the most important thing in my life," he started. Pansy's eyes lit up in fury; did he not hear what she said?

"So, go back to her then! I'm not stopping you, and if you really love her you wouldn't be in this situation!" Harry's expression didn't change; he didn't even turn to see her outburst.

"…but, somehow, that changed when I met you," he whispered. Pansy's gaze softened immediately, embarrassed by her rage and touched by his words, she leaned over and enveloped him into a tight hug

"Hey, it's going to be ok," she assured as he gripped her tightly, trying to forget what he must do.

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Hermione Granger entered the familiar Astronomy Tower with her charts and made her way to the telescope room upstairs. The last time she was here was with Malfoy. Memories flooded through her mind as she distracted herself with examining the lunar charts. Truth be told, she was here to gaze into the heavens, somewhere in her mind, an inkling of hope lingered, the letter was a hoax, it wasn't him. But, it was him and that was what bothered her and the fact that she was here at midnight hoping he'd pass by. Pathetic, she thought to herself.

"Astronomy?" the voice made her jump, her voice echoed the room and Malfoy emerged from the shadows with his usual smirk. She was surprised at how much of an effect he had on her, those piercing gray eyes, even thought she was angry with him.

"Oh, look who it is? Did you just return from the Owlery, got another letter from dear old dad? What does he want you to do now?" The words rushed out like acid that'd been building up since the truth was revealed. At first, Draco was bewildered, the confusion slowly transpired into anger.

"Shut up Granger," he snapped.

"No, I can't believe you'd succumb so low, lower than low. Just leave Malfoy, what are you doing here?" She turned around, her eyes stinging with fresh tears. In a few quick strides, he was by her side and grabbed her arm, forcing her to his angry visage.

"What am I doing here at midnight? Interesting question Granger, what are you doing here? We both know you don't take Astronomy so why bother strolling towards the end of the castle?" Hermione's eyes widened, Malfoy was furious, it was evident in his every move, his eyes, and his scowl.

"Malfoy?" Hermione whispered, partly afraid of his behavior. He released her arm and started towards her, Hermione consequently took a few steps back.

"Alright, you want to know what I'm doing. Since the day you left with Ron from the library, I've been purposely late to Transfiguration **every** Wednesday just so I could cross your path in the hallways and see you, does that answer your question? Maybe, this would help, everyday, I see you with Weasley and realize that you're too good for him, does that answer your question?" his eyes held rage, struggling to escape. "The real question is Granger, What are _we _doing here at midnight?" Hermione wriggled out of his grasp, in one fell swoop grabbing her things, and started sprinting towards the door.

"At least listen to the answer Granger, I-I **love** you and you love me too," the words sputtered out of his lips before he could control his speech and then his mouth was dry. It was unexpected, unplanned, he wasn't sure if he meant it but at that moment when Hermione turned around, all thoughts ceased to make any sense. The expression on her delicate features would haunt him for days on end, the pain, confusion, fury all morphed into that one single expression lingered on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but, decided to turn around. The echo of her footsteps slowly drifted off and Draco was left with silence, a deathly silence. Yet, it was noisy; his mind was reiterating the past few months he'd spent with Granger. The trysts in the hallways, secret meetings in the library and Astronomy Tower and slowly but surely he started believing his assertion: _Maybe_ he was in love with Granger…well, that would complicate a lot of things.

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_Draco in love is going to be extremely hard to write because it's something every Dramione author percieves differently and sorry if I make him OOC :/ which is ironic because Draco in Love is an OOC thing for him to do. ha!_

_Alright, Read and Review and I will update ASAP:)_


	15. Unplanned Meeting

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter and this does not give me any sort of profit except personal satisfaction. :)

_**AN:** This chapter sort of wrote itself and I did not intend for it. Anyway, I guess I needed a warm up before delving back into the plot. Reviews are always welcome, even flames. Enjoy. _

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**Chapter Fifteen: Unplanned Meeting**

Hermione raced through the deserted hallway, desperately trying to the sound of Malfoy's voice in her head. She wasn't aware the snake could be in love or posses the ability to care for another individual more than himself. She was utterly confused and knew that confronting him would only worsen her situation. She turned the corner and her breath got caught in her throat as she ran into a figure. He was strong and she felt his muscles flex as he steadied her balance.

"Hermione, are you alright?" She was the just person she didn't want to see at a time like this. She looked up and found Pansy by his side. A twinkle of concern was evident on her pale face but Hermione didn't both questioning it; she probably looked really distraught.

"W-What are you guys doing here?" The first thing she needed to do was to take the attention away from her. Harry eyed her for a minute before bending over to pick up her things.

"We were on rounds. Professor McGonagall suspected something, we are to meet the order in front of the Forbidden Forest." Hermione was alarmed, why was he talking about the order in front of a slimy slytherin?

"No worries. McGonagall trusts us." He assured, noticing her worried glance.

"You should go and rest." Pansy hinted.

"Don't tell me what to do." Hermione scowled. She was tired of people telling her what to do, especially Slyherins. "I'm coming with you, Harry."

"I don't think that's a good idea Hermione." Harry started as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. Hermione narrowed her eyebrows.

"I wasn't asking you. I'm simply informing you." she said bitterly and snatched the papers from his hands. "Meet you in front of the main gate in fifteen minutes." Without acknowledging Pansy, she walked by.

"What's wrong with her?" Pansy asked as she crossed her arms. "We can't let her come with us."

"She's too stubborn and will end up venturing out on her own looking for us if we don't wait. That's not safe." he said distantly. His mind was still muddling over trying to find a reason as to Hermione's discontent.

"Well, you heard her majesty, main gate in fifteen minutes." Pansy grumbled and just as they were heading towards the staircase, they heard approaching footsteps and turned to see none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing out late? We are on rounds you know," Harry snarled.

"Which is exactly why we let Granger go, right?" Pansy gave him an icy stare. She wasn't going to let the Gryffindor get the unfair advantage.

"Where is Hermione?" Draco asked.

"Hermione?" Harry and Pansy repeated, bewildered.

"Where is she?" He was in no mood of quarreling but was focused on talking to Granger. He was in love with her and there was no way around it. The sooner he learned to accept it himself, the more he started to trust his feelings for her. He wasn't sure when he fell for the nerdy Gryffindor but was glad he did; she was his hope, his reason to disobey his father and strive towards a better future. A future designed by his own principles and morals and not crafted by his father's selfish motives.

Before he could brood further about his newly formulated resolutions, Harry grabbed him by the collar; anger raced through his veins.

"If you did anything to Hermione," he warned. Draco glowered back and easily slipped away from his vice-grip.

"For your information Potter, I didn't do anything to her. I'm merely looking for her to get my bloody Astronomy assignment." He growled. He decided that it wasn't his decision to tell Potter about their secret relationship. He eyed Pansy who as quiet; she wasn't a blockhead, she knew something had happened between them the day she caught them arguing in front of the library. Nevertheless, he respected her for staying silent about the matter.

"You better hope your right." Harry had no intention of giving Malfoy an clue of Hermione's plan to follow them into the Forbidden Forest.

"Granger is joining us on our rounds." Pansy informed. She wasn't going to keep quiet and noticed Harry's angry glare towards her direction.

"What? Has she gone completely insane?" Draco thought out loud. Pansy had to bite her tongue from answering that question. Harry didn't bother listening to Malfoy thinking out loud so he brushed past them towards the main doorway. He spun around when he heard two sets of footsteps following him.

"You aren't coming with us Malfoy," He snarled and lifted his hands and pushed Malfoy back to emphasize his disapproval.

"Potter, as much I'd love to kick your arse right now, this isn't about you, for once. I'm coming and if I need to break your nose to get past you, so be it." Pansy tensed at the thought of Harry with a broken nose, she knew what Draco was capable of. Surprisingly, he's been going easy on Potter. Harry knew fighting with Malfoy would only stall them from meeting Hermione and frankly he didn't care. If Malfoy's foolish decision would get him hurt, so be it. Hermione was waiting near Hagrid's cabin, as promised. Her expression turned into digust when she saw the figure behind Harry.

"What is he doing here?" She knew Malfoy was looking at her but she didn't want to meet his gaze.

"Nice to see you too, Granger." he said dryly, though it did sadden him greatly that she didn't show any signs of concern towards his confession. He felt weak and stupid for letting his feelings spill out and accepted the fact that despite everything that has happened this year, she didn't love him.

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_Read and Review! _

_Love, starry. _


	16. Foreign Land

_**AN: **Expect a surprise. . .I don't know how this chapter happened but I'm glad it did! This chapter concludes Seducing Granger, with a definite sequel (You'll find out why it's definite). It's been a bumpy ride and I will eventually edit the entire series. I'd like to thank all my reviewers, you guys kept me going. . .even when I was down. You guys are the best. Anyway, enjoy. Let me know what you think. I'm a little nervous about this one. . . _

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**Chapter Sixteen: Foreign Land**

The air was thick and laden with fog. It was nearly impossible for the four to see within a few feet of their illuminating wands.

"Ow!" Pansy said as she stepped on a sharp twig. "Where were we supposed to meet McGonagall anyway?"

"She didn't say. I assumed it wouldn't be difficult." Harry explained. The silence was unbearable, especially for Draco who was baffled by Hermione's choice to ignore him.

She stood next to Harry and avoided any eye contact. Meanwhile, he noticed Pansy eying him with suspicion, but he didn't have the energy or the patience to cook up a story. His thoughts returned to the brown-haired girl in front him. At first he was angry but that boiled down to sadness, something the Slytherin Prince rarely felt. The last time he could remember feeling low was during his mother's death. It bothered him how the Mudblood had this much effect on him.

_Does she care at all? _

His frustration was evident in his short, impatient strides. His thoughts were so muddled that he failed to the notice a tree's branch sticking out of the ground. His wand flew out of his grasp as he landed on his bottom. Harry and Hermione turned around and Harry wouldn't give up a chance of hurling an insult at the Slytherin.

"Let's just hope you cast your spells better than you maintain balance," Harry laughed. Hermione forced a smile and contemplated on helping him up but Draco didn't give her time to decide.

He dusted his robe as Pansy handed him his wand. He snatched it from her hand and he heard her gasp in surprise. She didn't deserve to be a victim of his anger, which was boiling like an active volcano, but he couldn't help it. The first thing he was going to do after getting out of here was to make the Gryffindors' lives miserable.

The next five minutes passed sans conversation. The only sound emerged from the crunching of the leaves beneath their feet.

"Maybe we should go back," Pansy said reluctantly. She remembered her father and mother cautioning her of this part of Hogwarts. There was no telling what or who was present in these woods.

"Calm down Parkinson, we are still on Hogwarts grounds." Harry mumbled.

"Harry, maybe she's right. If McGonagall wanted us to find us she would have made sure it was in a well-known place. We have been wandering around for over thirty minutes. I say we go back," Hermione reasoned.

"What is this?" Draco questioned as he bent over to find a tattered Daily Prophet. No sooner as his fingertips touched the parchment, he felt his whole body being pulled into the paper. He immediately realized that this was a portkey.

"It's a portkey!" he shouted, frantically.

The others soon touched the battered paper as well. It felt as if the world was spinning at an unimaginable rate and everything around them converged into a blur. All of them were afraid to let go because no one hem knew where this mysterious portkey was going to take them. Finally, Harry made the call.

"WE ARE ALL GOING TO LET GO ON MY CALL!" Harry yelled at the top of his lungs in order to get his voice through.

"WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION, POTTER?" Draco retorted.

"FINE, YOU MAKE THE CALL!" Harry shot back.

"NOW!" Hermione exclaimed. She couldn't believe they were bickering at a time like this.

* * *

**Dumbledore's Office**

Albus Dumbledore was a man of patience. Years of experience taught him that losing his head only made things worse, but tonight was an exception. McGonagall was to witness his wrath.

"How did this happen Minerva. I want answers!" he bellowed. Even Phoenix stood motionless and didn't dare move a feather.

"I-I'm not sure, Albus," Though she had seen him angry, even she wasn't prepared for this.

"Ginny informed me that Harry and Pansy went into the Forbidden Forest, under your orders!"

"Albus, you know I wasn't on Hogwarts Ground. I left to meet with Kingesely about another attack. I informed you of my absence. Now, whoever did this obviously planned this out. With the aid the polyjuice potion and an unregistered portkey, the evidence is uncanny." She explained, her confidence building with every word.

Dumbledore stood up from his desk and approached the pensieve. The reflection of the slivery light danced on his moon-shaped glasses, his expression was solemn.

"I believe you Minerva. It's just. . ." he drifted. "Maybe the past holds some answers." McGonagall nodded and understood that he wanted to be left alone.

* * *

**Forks, Washington: **

Bella Swan was racking her brain with her Calculus homework when she heard what sounded like bullets emerge from the woods adjacent to her house. She walked over to the window and stared into the vast greenery, but everything seemed ordinary. However, her definition or ordinary was a paradox.

She wasn't sure if she should tell Edward, he had enough to worry about. She finally decided to mention it to him; she learned that you could never be too careful. Although she knew that if she did tell him he'd would obsessively search the entire woods and not leave her sigh; she didn't want to be a burden. One thing was certain; she had spent way too much thinking about this and too little on calculus. She let out a sigh and returned to her work.

Derivatives took her mind off the strange noise but somewhere in her subconscious memory was fear of what caused the noise. She finally shut her textbook after an hour of practice problems and checked the clock on the wall. Edward would be here in a half-an-hour, so she decided to get her human necessities out of the way. She grabbed her towel and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Hermione stood up with a hand rested on her throbbing head. She spotted the others and proceeded to wake them.

"Harry, I don't think we are on Hogwarts grounds anymore," she mumbled, looking around the unfamiliar surroundings.

"I knew we should've gone back!" Pansy cried. "This is all your fault Potter,"

"The Slytherin is playing the blame game, what else is new? Want to add anything else Malfoy?" Malfoy ignored Harry's statement and got on all fours shuffling through the soil.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, ticked off that Malfoy had ignored him.

"Looking for my wand. I suggest you do the same."

Thankfully, everyone had their wands but none of them knew what to do in this foreign land. The portkey was inoperative and was fractured in the middle.

"Well, we can't stand around forever," Hermione advised. "Point me North," Her wand rested on her palm and it whirled to point straight ahead.

"When in doubt, go north," she said and for once, no one argued.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Harry Potter of Twilight, they were created by J.K Rowling and Stephanie Meyer respectively. _

_Now you know why I didn't add the disclaimer in the beginning, I didn't want to give it away!  
_

_This is a pretty abrupt place to end Seducing Granger but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. I was initially going to end it after the scene in Dumbledore's office but I knew it wouldn't be fair. . .This concludes Seducing Granger and I'm going to start on my sequel, which is a Twilight/Harry Potter crossover. I'm contemplating on the title, any ideas? _

_What do you guys think of the series as a whole? Ex: character development, plot, anything really._

_As you are waiting for the sequel, be sure to check out the one-shot titled **Just like a Pill** and my next venture besides working of this sequel called **Skin Deep.** Both can be found on my author's page. :)  
_

_Read and Review!_

_Love_

_*starry. _


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